JAKARTA: The Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) said any opportunity it had to join the ruling coalition was closed, for now.
Gerindra secretary-general Ahmad Muzani said Sunday that a statement by State Secretary Sudi Silalahi made it clear Gerindra was not entertaining any offers to join the ruling coalition any time soon.
Sudi had previously said there would not be a Cabinet reshuffle in the near future.
There was widespread speculation Gerindra would be offered a place in the coalition after the party supported the stance of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party to reject a proposed tax graft inquiry committee at the House of Representatives.
Analysts predicted Gerindra would replace the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) in the coalition. The PKS had supported calls to establish the inquiry committee to look into graft at the tax office.
Ahmad said he was not sure a Cabinet reshuffle would take place. “Maybe what [Sudi] meant by ‘the near future’ is from now to 2014,” he was quoted as saying by news portal tempointeraktif.com.
He added that Gerindra chief patron Prabowo Subianto had not met with the President regarding the matter.
“There have been no talks,” he said. — JP
