TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hidayat Nur Wahid, deputy chairman of the Prosperous Justice Party’s (PKS) Advisory Council, dismissed a rumor saying that the Red-and-White Coalition (KMP) had been disbanded.
Hidayat claimed that the coalition initiated by 2014 presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto would survive although its supporting parties had jumped ship to the government coalition.
“We’d like to emphasize that the KMP still exists. The PKS and the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) are still there,” Hidayat said in Jakarta on Friday, February 5, 2016.
Parties that jumped ship to the government coalition include the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Functional Group (Golkar). In addition, an internal conflict at the United Development Party (PPP) had caused the party to follow PAN and Golkar.
However, Hidayat said that Golkar and PPP had not left the coalition yet.
“There have been no statements yet made by the KMP, Aburizal Bakrie (Golkar) and the PPP,” Hidayat added.
He explained that the KMP would have officially announced the disbandment if the KMP decided to call it quit.
“There must be a mechanism to state whether the KMP will be disbanded,” he said, adding that the KMP would still be needed for democracy in the country.
EGI ADYATAMA