PPP Considering Central Axis Coalition

Bandung, West Java (Antara) - Indonesia's Islam-based United Development Party (PPP) is thinking of a central axis coalition like in the general elections in 2004. Its general chairman, Suryadharma Ali, said here on Sunday he believed the coalition was possible for the general elections this year. "I have confidence in the central axis coalition to be realized in the current national politics," he said at a discussion on "Chance of a Presidential Candidate from Islamic Political Parties." He said his conviction on the idea was based on the good communication that Islamic political party leaders in the country have done so far. "Basically our relations are good. Islamic party general chairmen are currently also sitting in the cabinet. So minimally we meet once a week," he said. He admitted that many figures have considered electability and popularity of Islamic parties low. "On a question why intensive communication has not happened among leaders of Islamic parties I could say I have the conviction that a central axis would be realized," he said. He said actually the central axis has already been established right now in the government but it is a central axis plus. "Why plus. It is because besides PPP, PKB and PKS (Islamic parties) there are also Golkar Party and the Democrat Party in the current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's cabinet," he said. A political observer from Syarif Hidayatullah University in Jakarta, Dr Bachtiar Effendi, said that it was not impossible for a central axis coalition to be established for the 2014 general this year but it would also meet challenges. He said unlike in 2004 when the voters were parliament members "now the voters are the whole people of Indonesia." (*)