Selecting Vice-Presidential Candidate and Coalition are Important; SBY

Jakarta (Antara) - The chairman of the Democratic Party Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the process for determining a coalition partner and selecting the vice-presidential candidate are important and should not be undertaken carelessly. "The Vice-President is important; he or she is not the backup. When I was with Jusuf Kalla, I gave him authority, opportunity and assignments to be an active partner in the government. The same was true for Boediono, the things that he had done are in line with my policies. Of course, the final decision is in the hands of the president," Yudhoyono said in an interview uploaded on YouTube that was monitored here on Wednesday. Yudhoyono said based on his experiences, the process of determining a vice-presidential candidate should be careful. The other parties' opinion should be sought and not too many promises made, so that no one feels offended. "I do not want to make a hasty decision, I never made many promises. When I had decided, it never changed. I even asked the survey institute about my vice-presidential candidate. And when I had the result, I contacted the candidate and he was pleased, both Mr. Jusuf Kalla and Mr. Boediono," he said. Similarly, when forming a coalition with other political parties, Yudhoyono said that his party will deliver the platform and vision. Then if the other parties agree with it, the Democratic Party will welcome them to join the coalition. According to him, the coalition must begin with good intentions to establish an effective cooperation. Yudhoyono also asked the Indonesian people to wait patiently for the next few weeks when it comes to the process of determining a coalition and selecting the vice-presidential candidate of the Democratic Party. (*) Reporting by Panca Hari Prabowo Translated by Maria Rosari