Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has turned down an offer from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) to join his coalition of political parties. In a letter to the party's executives, he said that he wished to cooperate with the party in the coming years.

"The letter was sent to the party's chief patron, Prabowo Subianto, a few days ago," said presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha on Monday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

The President's letter was a reply to Prabowo's that had mentioned requirements that the President had to fulfill in return for the party's commitment to the coalition.

Meanwhile, Yudhoyono has yet to address the matter of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which took an opposing stance in the latest vote at the House of Representatives regarding the initiation of an inquiry committee into the tax mafia in the country.

"We have yet to receive any summons or meeting with Pak [Yudhoyono]," PKS secretary-general Anis Matta said on Monday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

The ruling Democratic Party had previously threatened to scrap the membership of coalition parties that deviated from the opinion of the broader coalition.