Golkar Approaches Moslem Parties

VIVAnews - A Golkar Party Chairperson, Syamsul Muarif said the possibility of Jusuf Kalla (JK) and Wiranto to expand their coalition by asking four Islamic parties to join is getting stronger. JK and Wiranto have yet to register to the Election Commission (KPU) so that the coalition with the four parties could still be set up formally.

“JK and Wiranto have yet to register. It is possible for the parties to form a coalition with Golkar”, Muarif said when he was accompanying Kalla at the Miftachus Sunnah Islamic boarding school in Surabaya on Wednesday, May 13.

He also said that as a neutral party, Golkar is having no problem forming a coalition with Islamic parties. “Any kind of party will do. Either a religion-based party or a nationalist party”, he said.

At first, the four Islamic parties, which are the Prosperous & Justice Party (PKS), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the United Development Party (PPP), and the National Mandate Party (PAN), were supporting SBY. Later they threatened to get out of the coalition when SBY chose Boediono as his running mate.

Muarif admitted that Golkar’s meeting with the parties occurred after the news about SBY choosing Boediono as a vice president candidate was on circulation. “The communication was done after Boediono was reported as SBY’s running partner”, he said.

However, the communication was still at the preliminary stage. “There are no instructions yet, just discussing about the process”, he said.

Earlier, PKS Spokesperson, Ahmad Mabruri said that the JK-Wiranto duet is interesting. Both JK and Wiranto have a wife who wears hijab, which matches the Islamic values embraced by PKS. Translated by: Nataya Ermanti