A number of politicians have pounced on Golkar Party Chairman Aburizal Bakrie's comments that when it came to Indonesian politics it was best for party members to think like rats.

Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, head of the executive board of the United Development Party (PPP), called on the controversial businessman to clarify his comments because rats conjured up "very bad" images.

Bakrie, who has a poor public image given the ongoing Sidoarjo mudflow disaster that has displaced many thousands of people and the more recent battle with former Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawti, told Golkar members on Sunday that the party had "to have the principals of a rat" in its bid to achieve 30 percent of the vote in the 2014 legislative elections.

"Be like the rat who bites someone's leg, without letting the person know that he has been bitten by us. A rat always bites with a certain tactics and technique," he told delegates at a five-star hotel in South Jakarta.

"The rat bites a little, and carefully, and then waits. After [the rat] feels it is enough, he goes back to biting just a bit again. The person who is bit never feels it, In politics, when we attack, we must not be careless and in a hurry, or our opponents will know and attack us back."

Speaking to reporters at the House of Representatives on Monday, Lukman urged Bakrie not to use "rat politics" for his own benefit.

"A politician must posses an ideology and that ideology must be focused for the benefit of the people instead of him or her self," Lukman was quoted by Detik.com as saying. He suggested Golkar select another animal as a role model.

"A rat is stigmatized as an animal with a negative image. It would have been better if he had used another animal in his analogy," Lukman said. "Live for politics, not live from politics. Don't use politics for personal gain."

Bima Arya Sugiarto, from the National Mandate Party (PAN), suggested Golkar use a dolphin as a role model. "Dolphins are not individualist, clean and friendly."

The ruling Democratic Party was also critical of Bakrie's comments. "I disagree with that kind of politics. Rats sniff around and when it's time to strike, they will gnaw on the target," Democratic legislator Didi Irawadi Syamsuddin told Detik.com.

He said rat politics focused on one's self and not the people. "Politics must be moral-based, not rat-based."

National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Marwan said he had no problem with Golkar adopting rat-style politics but hoped his own party would maintain ethical standards.

"If Golkar wants to adopt rat politics so be it. As for the rest of us, what's important is to give a good, moral-based and civilized political education for the people, not immoral politics."