Febriamy Hutapea – Claiming that it is not about to allow stinging recommendations to break the ruling coalition apart, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party vowed on Wednesday that it would fight to solidify the coalition of parties it led, and win the argument over the Rp 6.7 trillion ($710 million) bailout of Bank Century.

"We would prefer to maintain the coalition... unless of course they insist on getting out," Democrat faction chairman Anas Urbaningrum said a day after the Golkar Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), two of the six parties in the coalition, pinpointed Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati as the ones who should bear the burden for the rescue of the failed lender.

"The Democrats believe that the ties that bind the coalition were formed over a similar vision, based on which the presidential and vice-presidential candidates during the [2009] elections were chosen. This coalition can be managed."

Anas said the Democrats had to intensify communications with the other coalition parties to mend their differences. "Meetings with coalition parties should be continued, and the more, the better. One should be scheduled to make up for the recent meeting canceled at Cikeas," Anas said, referring to the meeting called off on Monday night in which coalition leaders were to meet with Yudhoyono at his private residence in Cikeas, Bogor.

Anas said the meeting was aborted because not all leaders had confirmed their attendance. Several of them claimed the meeting was an invitation from Yudhoyono himself, but the Democrats have denied this. Anas said differences were acceptable in politics, but a number of factions had gone overboard.

Golkar and the PKS have been aggressive throughout the House of Representatives' inquiry, particularly in targeting Boediono and Sri Mulyani to take the fall. Several Democratic leaders have warned the two parties that taking sides with the opposition meant they no longer considered them part of the coalition.

Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, whose rocky relations with Sri Mulyani over a tax dispute involving Bakrie companies are no secret, insisted that Golkar had never demanded Boediono's impeachment.

"At the time of the Century case, Boediono was Bank Indonesia governor, not vice president. So there's no impeachment there," Aburizal was quoted by kompas.com as saying on the sidelines of a breakfast meeting with ambassadors at the Four Seasons Hotel.

He said that because Boediono was vice president he could no longer be processed "through the regular legal corridors" and that this case should be brought before the Constitutional Court.