TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Democratic Party central board (DPP) for advocacy and legal aid division chairman Ferdinand Hutahaean stated his party was currently initiating to form People’s Coalition. He said the idea came from the journey record of the party’s chair Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and son Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono to many Indonesian regions.
“The idea was initiated by Pak SBY, but the name was suggested by the community when Pak SBY and AHY visited the archipelago,” said Ferdinand in a short message to Tempo, Sunday, June 10.
Earlier, Ferdinand said the coalition was brought up after the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party chairman Prabowo Subianto met Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab in Mecca. Gerindra reportedly approached the Democratic party for a possible coalition.
Ferdinand mentioned the FPI did not invite the Democratic Party to join the coalition since Rizieq was once imprisoned by the authorities under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono leadership.
After the meeting between Prabowo and Rizieq Shihab, Ferdinand added, Democratic Party chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or SBY issued an instruction to form a similar coalition namely people’s or archipelago’s coalition which was currently under discussion with other parties. “Everything will be revealed after the simultaneous regional election in July. So now, it is now in the beginning phase,” he added.
However, Ferdinand did not further detail the parties. Democratic party, he said, was currently issuing material test to the Constitutional Court regarding presidential threshold at 20 percent.
BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI
