REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - A Golkar Party associate chairman stated that the party has long wished to build strong and permanent coalition with the Indonesian Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP) to create a new tradition in Indonesian politics.

"The Golkar Party agrees with the view of the Lingkaran Survey Indonesias (LSI) suggestion (that Golkar and PDIP must start a new tradition by creating a permanent coalition)," Hajrianto Tohari stated, here on Monday.

He added that since the second half of the period of Aburizal Bakries party leadership, discussions at the Golkar Party headquarters have also led to coalition with the opposition PDIP. Tohari stated however, that the Golkar Party was fully aware of the constraint due to the party's involvement of the coalition with the ruling Democrat Party so far.

But "the Golkar (Party) thinks that 2014 will be the right time for building a better democracy by setting up a strong coalition," Tohari added. 

Tohari pointed out that efforts have already been made to create coalition between the two big parties including a meeting between the two parties leaders.

"The general chair persons of the Golkar Party and PDIP have met," he explained.

So far, Golkar Party has named its general chairman, Aburizal Bakrie as its candidate for the presidential election. PDIP however has not yet made a decision as to who will be choose as its candidate, but so far Jakarta governor Joko Widodo has been seen as its potential candidate. According to survey results so far, Joko Widodo has always been ranked first in term of electability for president.

LSI: Permanent coalition

Based on the recent LSI survey, Golkar and PDIP have the potential to take the first and second positions in the next legislative elections on April 9. LSI has also suggested that Golkar and PDIP think of forming a permanent coalition that could withstand five terms to assure stable government.

It also recommended that the 2014 government must be the government of maximally three big parties to assure support in the parliament and effective and efficient government.

The LSI survey was done from January 6 to 16, involving 1.2 thousand respondents in 33 provinces based on a quantitative multi-stage random sampling with a margin of error of around 2.9 percent. 

Besides this, legislative elections Indonesia will also conduct a presidential election on July 9.

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