Jakarta – Despite an apology from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Golkar Party is still up in arms over Democratic Party (PD) deputy chairman Ahmad Mubarok's remark that Golkar would get no more than 2.5 percent of the total vote in the upcoming legislative elections.

"Golkar feels extremely uncomfortable with that statement. It is totally unreasonable to us," Priyo Budi Santoso, head of the Golkar Party faction in the House of Representatives, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He said Ahmad's statement on Tuesday was highly inappropriate given the good relations between the two parties.

Priyo said he was concerned that the "inappropriate" statement would trigger the Golkar Party to change its mind. "Perhaps we will propose Kalla as president and choose another vice-president candidate from another party," he said.

He said Golkar members were comfortable with Yudhoyono as president, but not as the Democratic Party's chief patron.

Golkar Party deputy chairman Agung Laksono, said there was no need to regard such "insulting" remarks. "We (Golkar Party) don't need to feel humiliated," he said, adding that the party would not respond angrily. "Lets the voters determine what the best party is," he said.

He said his party was sure to get a large number of votes as in it had in previous elections.

Agung refused to comment on whether the statement would damage the president-vice president coalition planning Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla. "Lets see at the elections," he said.

Meanwhile, executive director of the Indo Barometer pollster group Muhammad Qodari said Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla were popular as president and vice president among Indonesians. "They would have more chance at winning the election. This is reflected by several surveys held by various organizations," Qodari said.

He said the Democratic Party was full of confidence in getting many votes after a series of recent surveys found that they would win the April 9 legislative elections, defeating Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

"Golkar is still engaged with Susilo, but if the Democratic Party gets 20 percent of the votes, he will probably not take Kalla as the vice president," Qodari said. (naf)