Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says he is not bothered by Vice President Jusuf Kalla's decision to stand as his rival in the presidential election this July, a statement many view as the Democratic Party's farewell bid to the Golkar Party.
In an interview Saturday with local broadcaster Metro TV, Yudhoyono said he respected the political right of the Vice President and Golkar chairman, adding that Kalla's move should not disrupt the ongoing administration's work.
"I hope that even though in the 2009 [presidential elections] Pak Jusuf Kalla and I will go separate ways, we will remain a good presidential-vice presidential team," the President said in response to Kalla's bid Friday for the presidency.
"We have to maintain the function of the current administration and lead it with our best until the end of our term on Oct. 20 this year."
Yudhoyono said he had a "good" relationship with Kalla, and expressed hope it would remain this way despite both men vying for the highest seat in the country.
As if confirming his good relations with Kalla, Yudhoyono held a closed-door meeting late Sunday with Kalla at his private residence in Cikeas, Bogor, West Java.
It was not immediately clear if the meeting was aimed at mending their political ties after a troubling few weeks, but presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said the meeting was between the President and his Vice president, not between Democratic and Golkar Party leaders.
He added Yudhoyono would receive a report from Kalla on his trip to several countries last week.
After the 40-minute talk, Yudhoyono and Kalla did not say anything to the press about their discussions, sparking another wave of speculation on the future of their relationship.
However, political observer Mohammad Qodari said Yudhoyono's TV statement confirmed many people's suspicions that he and the Democratic Party had indeed intended to part ways with Kalla and Golkar in the upcoming presidential elections.
If Yudhoyono wanted Kalla to stay on as his running mate, Qodari added, he would not have held the interview and would instead have lobbied the Vice President to stay with him.
"The Democratic Party and SBY [Yudhoyono] personally are actually not comfortable with the coalition with Golkar. Yes, they've received support from the party, but they have often been pressured as well.
"SBY has growing confidence that the Democratic Party will be bigger than Golkar, so it doesn't need it anymore. I believe SBY and the Democratic Party have long planned to leave Golkar," Qodari said.
He added the signs could be seen from the Democratic Party's refusal to name Kalla as its vice presidential candidate during its recent national meeting, and from a statement by party deputy chairman Ahmad Mubarok, who said Golkar would win a mere 2.5 percent of the total votes at the April 9 legislative polls.
Yudhoyono, the Democratic Party's chief patron, publicly reprimanded Mubarok for the controversial statement after Kalla took offense to it. "But that's just for public relations," Qodari said.
During the TV interview, Yudhoyono also called on incumbent Cabinet ministers and other state officials wishing to contest the elections to commit to their jobs until the end of the Cabinet's term.
He added Golkar also had the right to claim the achievements of the current administration as its own by proclaiming it in their campaign ads.