Bagus BT Saragih and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – As six political parties, all members of the ruling coalition, gear up for the 2014 general election, the fate of the alliance remains uncertain, despite an agreement that it would survive until the current administration's tenure ended in October, next year.
Hasrul Azwar, deputy chairman of the United Development Party (PPP), one of the six coalition parties, said all the parties were now preoccupied with their plans for 2014.
"The coalition is no longer what it used to be. It is like a ghost. You can't really tell whether it exists or not. It seems to appear or disappear whenever it wishes, without our knowledge," Hasrul said.
The six parties, the Democratic Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Golkar Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the PPP joined the coalition to support President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration in 2009.
Contacted separately, Golkar deputy chairman Fadel Muhammad said the coalition's secretariat had been inactive for "quite a long time".
Fadel said the last time party chairman Aburizal Bakrie joined a coalition secretariat meeting was in May, when the government and the House of Representatives deliberated the plan to hike subsidized-fuel prices. "We are in an alliance but, at the same time, we are also rivals in the upcoming election," Fadel said.
Leader of the PKS faction at the House, Hidayat Nur Wahid, said the PKS had long been neglected by the secretariat. "The PKS is no longer invited for coalition meetings. But still, I think, transparency is always the best option," he said.
With two ministers in the Cabinet, the PKS is still formally a coalition member. But many Democratic Party executives consider otherwise, particularly since the PKS rejected the government's proposal to cut fuel subsidies.
Democratic Party lawmaker Sutan Bhatoegana said the coalition was no longer effective in defending the government's interests in the House.
"With or without the secretariat, [the Democratic Party] had always struggled. Now with the general election approaching, do the parties in the coalition still stick together? I don't think so," he said.
The first signs of dysfunction within the coalition appeared when the Democratic Party publicly introduced its presidential convention participants earlier this month. The leaders of all the coalition parties were invited for the occasion, but none of them showed up.
Yudhoyono was forced to cancel his appearance at the event at the last minute, opting instead to watch a live broadcast of the event by state-owned television station TVRI.
"It's alright [for them not to come]. We just hope their prayers for the convention will be successful," said Democratic Party executive chairman Syariefuddin Hassan, who is also the cooperatives and small and medium enterprises minister.
Earlier this week, the office from which the coalition officially runs its operations was converted into a command center for Gen. (ret) Pramono Edhie Wibowo's presidential campaign. Pramono, who is First Lady Ani Yudhoyono's brother, denied that he was being given special treatment, however.
"The coalition secretariat fails to use this building effectively. They decided to empty it and Djan offered it to me for my campaign. I hope this building brings me good luck," Pramono said, referring to Public Housing Minister Djan Faridz, the building's owner.