PKS FEELS NOT CONSULTED ON SBY-BOEDIONO PRESIDENTIAL TICKET

Jakarta, May 12 (ANTARA) - The Prosperous Justice Party said it had no communication with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on his reported plan to pick Boediono as his running mate in the upcoming presidential polls.

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of a plenary session of the House of Representatives (DPR) here on Tuesday, associate chairman of PKS Mahfudz Siddiq said SBY's signal to pick Boediono indicated the weakness of communications and coalition now being built together with the Democratic Party (PD).

"This is an indication that the coalescing process is not smooth and proceeding in one direction only. PKS was not asked to discuss the matter," Mahfudz Siddiq, who is also PKS faction chairman in the DPR said.

He said that PKS would soon adopt an attitude together with other parties which had joined the PD coalition. So far, PD has built a coalition with PKS, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the United Developement Party (PPP).

Mahfudz also said that his party had not decided whether to continue or to pull out of the coalition with the Democratic Party.

He said that his side had been informed of the news that Boediono, the central bank governor, would be chosen by Yudhoyono as his running mate for the upcoming presidential race.

On the rumors that Boediono was picked based on a reference from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Mahfudz said that if PDIP joined the coalition and SBY really embraced Boediono PKS would surely question it.

This was because the chief patron of the Democratic Party had always said that the coalition he was to build was a coalition with political parties which had the same political platform.

"So, we will question whether this coalition is based on political platform or on safeguarding interest only," he said.***