Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The main opposition party said on Sunday that it would not heed public calls to push for impeachment proceedings against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his government.

On Friday, hundreds of members of the Barisan Anak Kolong (Barak), or Gutter Boys Front, held a rally in front of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's offices in South Jakarta to protest what they said was the failure of the current government in settling numerous contentious issues including the Bank Century bailout case.

The rally was held concurrently with a closed-door meeting at the offices between PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri and a group of retired Army generals led by Gen. Kiki Syahnakri. "We want the PDI-P and the Army generals to impeach the current government," Barak said in a statement.

PDI-P secretary general Tjahjo Kumolo said on Sunday that the party was always open to hearing concerns from the public, but stressed that the it would hew closely to constitutional methods to enact sweeping changes such as the impeachment of a president.

"Our party always pays attention to our political dynamics. We won't be too reactive alone to answer calls to impeach the government, but the steps must be coordinated with other civilian components," Tjahjo said.

He admitted that the party was concerned over the current state of politics, comparing it to a soap opera, but cautioned that impeachment was a drastic measure to be employed with caution. "It must be assured that such a step is only for the sake of the people," he said.

Retired military man Kiki told journalists on Friday that the meeting with the PDI-P had nothing to do with planning impeachment proceedings.