High tempers were hard to miss on Wednesday as the Golkar Party made a clear move to cut ties after less than five years in its coalition with the Democrat Party.

The announcement came when Golkar was just an inch shy of extending its coalition pact with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's party, following intensive lobbying involving top leaders of the two camps over the past week.

That Democrat Party leaders said the partition was "a shock" and "unilateral" suggests the break-up was unimagined, since never in Indonesia's modern history has Golkar refused to take sides with the winner.

It was later revealed that the issue of the vice presidential candidate had caused their negotiations to stall. Golkar had insisted it would nominate only one running mate candidate, who most likely would have been its chairman, Jusuf Kalla, the incumbent Vice President.

Yudhoyono, however, had allegedly requested more than one option – a logical request, but one that analysts say showed Yudhoyono wanted a Golkar candidate other than Kalla.

Previously, Yudhoyono had also dropped hints regarding his disfavor of Kalla when he unveiled five criteria his new running mate needed to fulfill. The collapse of the grand coalition between these two parties – that look certain to claim first and second places in the legislative elections – is indeed cause for some concern. With the presidential election just around the corner, the Democrat Party will have to work extra hard to gather the support it needs to form a coalition that can secure the majority of House seats.

For Yudhoyono, unlike other candidates, the problem is not how to win a re-election, but how to make sure that during his second term in office there will be less of the challenges his administration is currently facing.

Yudhoyono badly needs an effective and stable government for the sake of Indonesia's population of 235 million who are feeling the pinch of the global crisis. An effective government would enhance or at least keep voters' trust in Yudhoyono's party in the 2014 elections, making it easier for him to arrange a smooth succession.

After 11 years of tumultuous reforms, Indonesia is in need of a government that is able to make sure public services are delivered, the rule of law is upheld and democratic exercises do not infringe on the rights of others.

Without a solid bedrock of support in parliament, Yudhoyono's second administration will be no improvement on the current government, as it will have to spend more time trying to survive political ordeals than running the country. Such conditions would easily spark public distrust in democracy, making them vulnerable to temptations from the"good old days". If this happens, the reform movement that began 11 years ago will be remembered as the most regrettable landmark in Indonesian history.

What is more concerning are the adverse impacts of the deteriorating coalition between Yudhoyono and Kalla. The remaining six months will be a most inconvenient period for both of them because they still have to work together while preparing to fight against each other.

National interests will be at stake as relations between the two top leaders are bound to turn sour as they compete against another in the July presidential election. Let's hope both men, who were elected on one ticket in 2004, will have enough statesmanship in them to ensure the nation a safe passage in the transition to the new government.