Jusuf Kalla's presidential aspirations denied

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State news agency Antara made a clarification on Wednesday regarding its interview with Vice President Jusuf Kalla, which contained a quote that some media outlets interpreted as representing an intention by the country's number two to contest the 2009 presidential election.

The agency released on Wednesday a new version of its interview with Kalla, which added some editorial notes to the earlier version published on Tuesday evening.

"God willing, as a Golkar member I had the right to be elected (as Golkar chairman at its congress in Bali in December 2004) and I ran (for the Golkar top post) with the President's consent. It would have been impossible without his consent," Antara quoted the Vice President as saying.

Several media outlets, including The Jakarta Post, ran the interview, in which Kalla dismissed speculation of a rift between himself and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Antara chief editor Asro Kamal Rokan said that the issue of the next presidential election had not been raised during the interview.

"We kept the record of all the Vice President's remarks during the interview. There was no statement made regarding the 2009 presidential election," Asro said.

The interview took place at the Vice Presidential Offices on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday.

Kalla contested the Golkar top post at the party congress a few months after the election of Susilo, and won by an outright majority.

Golkar is the biggest political bloc in the House of Representatives, compared to Susilo's Democratic Party which finished fifth in the legislative election last year.

Kalla said he had a constitutional responsibility to support Susilo, whose mandate will end in 2009.

"Please believe that I want to carry out this state duty properly," Kalla said when asked to comment on suggestions that his absence from a number of video conferences between Susilo and his ministers while the President was on an overseas trip in September indicated disharmony between the two.

Kalla said there was a clear division of labor between the President and the Vice President.

"The Vice President, of course, focuses on the implementation of the basic policies outlined by the President. That is the division of labor we discussed right at the start," Kalla said.

Kalla expressed optimism that his partnership with Susilo would remain solid until the end of their term.

"Personally and constitutionally, that's my responsibility," Kalla said.

Regarding mounting demands for a Cabinet that puts professionalism before political persuasion, Kalla quoted a survey that showed support for the President in keeping the coalition intact.

"Data released by the Indonesia Bangkit organization revealed that most respondents wanted ministers from political parties. Not all ministers affiliated to political parties are bad and not all ministers with professional backgrounds are good," Kalla said. Indonesia Bangkit groups a number of economists that are critical of the government.

It is up to the President to decide on any reshuffle, Kalla added.