The Golkar Party is threatening to quit the government's coalition government after two controversial proposals were embarrassingly rejected by the House of Representatives.

"If we cannot stay together, if we don't have the same views anymore, what is the use for us to stay in the coalition," Yamin Tawari, associate chairman of Golkar's Executive Board, said on Wednesday night in response to the House leadership decision to shelve Golkar's pork barrel proposal.

House of Representative's Speaker Marzuki Alie, a senior member of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, effectively killed the Golkar proposal that legislators be given Rp 15 billion ($1.6 million) to spend on their constituents as attempted "robbery" from the state.

The embattled party's follow-up proposal to allocate Rp 1 billion ($108,000) for development in each of the country's villages and subdistricts now appears to be heading for the same fate, in yet another political blow.

Yamin, however, attempted to deflect criticism from the proposal, which had been defended by party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, saying representatives of the coalition parties had agreed to support it during a coalition meeting, known by its acronym Setgab.

"All have to share common responsibility," Yamin argued. "If we cannot stay together and have no more similar views, what is the use for as to stay in the Setgab," Yamin said.

Bakrie has reportedly conveyed a message to the Democrats that the views are those of an individual and not of the party.

According to House Deputy Speaker Promono Anung, of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), a House leadership meeting had discussed the various aspects of the proposal and in the process had questioned the way in which the Rp15 billion figure was arrived at, and how the funds would be channeled and spent.

"Since there was no clarity on these points, we rejected the proposal," Pramono said. If the proposal was approved, it would only create opportunities for the misuse of the funds in the regions, he added. (Antara/JG)