REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Another statement again spices up conflict between Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the ruling coalition. The Chairman of Democrat Central Board, Sutan Bhatoegana, said, PKS should be ready to remove one of its ministers from United Indonesian Cabinet II as a sanction to its opposition on increasing fuel price plan. 

PKS must bear the consequence if the party wanted to stay in the secretariat of ruling coalition (Setgab), Bhatoegana added. And if PKS decided to step out from the coalition, then all ministers from PKS would be removed from the cabinet. Yet, he has not known the name of the minister who will be removed. The decision was at the hand of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), he explained.

PKS has three ministers in the cabinet. They are the Minister of Communication and Informatics Tifatul Sembiring, the Minister of Social Salim Segaf Aljufri, and the Minister of Agriculture Suswono. Bhatoegana added that PKS’s minister might stay in the cabinet even if PKS was removed from the coalition. But its cadres should state its willingness to be removed from the party.

Follow suit the last year 

The removal of one PKS’ minister from the cabinet followed suit the cabinet reshuffle last year. The PKS’s minister was reduced from four to three. “At that time, people think SBY did not dare to remove PKS and the party also threatened to step out from secretariat of ruling coalition. In fact, they have not,” he said.

The sanction, he added, would give clear guidance, ethic, and also political learning for Setgab members. He said, Democrat was in passive position in the replacement of the ministers from PKS. All coalition members respected President’s prerogative rights, he added.

Bhatoegana ensured that the sanction would not be given before the President met PKS. “PKS will be called soon. I’ve got the message that for SBY, state affairs is more important than internal affairs of Setgab,” he said. 

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