Councillors start to build coalitions

Councillors start to build coalitions

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta

Political parties that won seats on the City Council have begun
sounding out possible coalitions in order to achieve their mutual
goals, cognizant of the fact that the April 5 legislative
election failed to produce any single winner.

"Cooperation is the consequence of the absence of a single
majority. We have begun sounding out possible cooperation with
parties that are prepared to work toward mutual objectives," said
Igo Ilham, a councillor-elect of the Prosperous Justice Party
(PKS) on Friday.

A similar comment came from Solekan Sularno of the Democratic
Party who said his party was ready to cooperate with any party in
trying to set up a coalition for the benefit of their respective
constituents.

"I think the interests of our respective constituents are
similar. Therefore, cooperation among councillors from different
parties is needed," said Sularno, who is a teacher at a junior
high school in West Jakarta.

With 24 percent of the total ballots in the city, the PKS is
now the largest party in the council, followed by the Democratic
Party with 21.33 percent. The PKS and Democratic Party will have
18 and 16 seats respectively in the 75-seat council.

Igo said that PKS's Jakarta chapter had asked each of its
councillors to build communication with councillors from
different parties.

According to Igo, such communication will take place
informally in various ways including house visits, family
gathering and dinners.

"From a personal approach, we will know more about the people
we expect to cooperate with us," said Igo, a councillor-elect
from South Jakarta.

Wilson Hutasoit, a councilor-elect from the Prosperous Peace
Party (PDS), also stated the readiness of his party to cooperate
with other parties, including PKS, which stressed "caring and
anticorruption".

"Let's prove to the people that the statements we have made
are not just empty slogans. We are ready to cooperate with any
party," said Wilson, adding that his party was also committed to
fighting corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN).

He stressed that all councillors should be committed to the
anticorruption movement or, at the very least, councillors should
pledge that they will not get involved in corruption.

"I don't want my wealth to take me to hell," said Wilson,
whose party will have four seats on the council. He said he now
lived in a rented house in South Jakarta.

From the 24 political parties taking part in the election,
only nine won seats on the council.

Other parties that won seats are the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (11 seats), the Golkar Party (seven), the
United Development Party (six), the National Mandate Party (six),
the National Awaking Party (four), and the Reform Star Party
(three).

Poor education, flooding, poverty, and transportation problems
are issues often raised by politicians in their campaigns.

Igo stressed that the PKS faction in the council would hire
expert advisors so that the faction could propose solutions to
all problems in an appropriate way. "They are needed because we
have the political will, but don't know much about 'how'," he
added.