Golkar Party chief Aburizal “Ical” Bakrie says his party is ready to leave its comfort zone as part of the government and become the next opposition party if it fails to gain a share of power.
"Our democracy does not recognize an opposition. But if by becoming an opposition you mean being outside the Cabinet, Golkar is ready for that. Golkar will serve as a party that provides constructive criticism to the government," Aburizal told journalists on the sidelines of Golkar's campaign rally in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday.
He previously suggested that parties supporting presidential candidates that lost the race should not be barred from joining a government coalition.
Analysts said at the time that Ical's statement was an attempt to test the waters, especially in regards to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) whose presidential candidate, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, has constantly come out ahead in surveys.
Many believe that through the statement, Ical did not want people to perceive the party as being power-oriented.
Source/Fuente: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/04/02/golkar-ready-be-opposition...
