Bagus BT Saragih, Margareth S. Aritonang and Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The endurance of the opposition Red-and-White Coalition's solidarity has been put at risk after intensifying rifts with some of its political parties could result in them jumping ship to the government's coalition.
A faction led by Djan Faridz within the United Development Party (PPP), known as a strong supporter of the Red-and-White Coalition, expressed aspirations to leave the opposition during a national caucus held in Jakarta on Thursday.
"The possibility [to join the government coalition] is always wide open. Every party aspires to be close to the government," Djan, a former people's housing minister, said on the sidelines of the caucus.
Likewise, secretary-general Achmad Dimyati Natakusumah expressed disappointment that the Red-and-White Coalition seemed to ignore the PPP on many political occasions in the House of Representatives.
"We were promised strategic positions, but the PPP did not get anything," he said. "So what is the purpose of our presence in the coalition?"
The surprising development within the PPP could be another strong signal that the Red-and-White Coalition, currently controlling 291 out of 560 House seats, is struggling to maintain unity, while President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's camp is looking to garner more support.
A few days earlier, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the chairman of the Democratic Party, which claims to be "neutral", made political gestures that his party was leaning toward Jokowi's Great Indonesia Coalition.
The former president's move was triggered by his aspiration to retain the direct election system for regional heads to counter the Golkar Party's pledge to revert to New Order-style indirect elections.
Yudhoyono said that Golkar, the second biggest legislative seat holder, had unilaterally backpedaled from its previous commitment to endorse the government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on direct regional elections.
Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie has clarified that it was merely "a recommendation" made during the party's national congress in Bali, last month, to reject the Perppu.
Analysts said that the 208-seat Great Indonesia Coalition, led by Jokowi's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), was set to capitalize on the situation following a series of political "defeats" in the House.
Should the Democratic Party join Jokowi's coalition and the PPP jump ship, the Great Indonesia Coalition would control 308 seats, compared to the Red-and-White's 252.
Democratic Party lawmaker Didik Mukrianto, however, shrugged off speculation that his party would shift allegiance.
"Our party remains neutral and is meant as a balancing power between the two coalitions. At the moment, we are seeing that Jokowi is taking sides for the people's interests, so we support him," he said Thursday.
The PPP is currently split into two factions since a prolonged rift started during campaigning ahead of the presidential election.
Djan is known to be a confidant of former chairman Suryadharma Ali, who unilaterally declared that the Islamic party endorsed the presidential bid of losing candidate Prabowo Subianto. The move drove then secretary-general Muhammad "Romy" Romahurmuziy to form a faction that favored Jokowi.
Aspiring to a share in power, Romy's camp held a PPP national congress in Surabaya a few days before Jokowi's inauguration on Oct. 20, in which Romy was named chairman.
Suryadharma, who is now a corruption case suspect, staged his own congress in Jakarta, two weeks later. Also in an acclamation, Djan was named chairman.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/12/12/djan-s-faction-mulls-leaving-opposition.html