The Golkar Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) have opened talks on forming a coalition for the 2009 presidential election, looking to pair Vice President Jusuf Kalla with People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid.

Officials from the two parties said Monday that leading figures from Golkar, the country's largest party, and the Islamic-based PKS had held preliminary discussions on nominating the pair for president and vice president, respectively.

Golkar deputy secretary-general Rully Chairul Azwar confirmed the talks had taken place, saying his party was open to all options including forging a coalition with the PKS in next year's presidential election.

"But any permanent coalition will depend on the results of the legislative election," he said.

"We would like to build a strong and stable government so we are interested in joining forces with the PKS if it wins a significant number of votes in the legislative election."

The PKS took the bigger parties by surprise when it won the gubernatorial elections in West Java and North Sumatra.

Political analysts have predicted the party could double its 2004 result in the 2009 legislative election because of its clean image and the failure of larger parties to deliver on their promises.

The PKS took only 7.34 percent or 8.3 million votes in the 2004 election, falling far behind the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which garnered 21.6 percent and 18.5 percent, respectively.

Golkar leader Kalla renewed the party's target of winning 30 percent of the vote in next year's legislative election.

Hidayat, who is also a PKS patron and former president, said the idea of pairing him with Kalla was possible.

"It is an old issue. But any such coalition will depend on our results in the legislative election and the will of the party," he said.

"We won't shut the door on the possibility."

Neither would the PKS rule out backing the reelection of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Hidayat said.

Chairman of the Golkar faction at the House, Priyo Budi Santoso, said recently that pairing Kalla and Hidayat was one of four options the party had on the table.

Other options include keeping the Yudhoyono-Kalla coalition and forging a partnership with Megawati Soekarnoputri of the PDI-P.

Another Golkar politician, Harry Azhar Azis, said Golkar and the PKS could form a solid coalition in next year's presidential election.

"Talks about a possible coalition between the two parties are underway. It is good to test the waters," he said.

Sources at the PKS and Golkar said Monday that Golkar would move quickly to lock in a coalition with the PKS before Yudhoyono took the initiative to secure a commitment from the Islamic party for the presidential election.

The PKS supported the Yudhoyono-Kalla team in the presidential election run-off in 2004, securing three ministerial positions in return.

Experts have predicted Yudhoyono will need the PKS if his coalition with Kalla breaks down as they doubt his Democratic Party will be able to meet the qualification threshold alone.

Direct regional elections held in the country in the last three years revealed that political parties served only as vehicles for the rich to gain power, a discussion heard.

"It is scary to learn about this. I have a very bleak picture of the future of democracy in this country," Zulkieflimansyah from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) told the floor during a discussion held by the Commission for Indonesian Democracy (KID) here Tuesday night.

Direct elections for governors, regents and mayors were introduced following the 2004 presidential election. Alleged vote buying had become a cause for concern, he said.

"That's why I don't believe great leaders will come out of political parties," Zulkieflimansyah, who made an unsuccessful bid for governor of Banten last year, said.

Candidates are free to vote for the political party they want, and can easily switch to another party if their choice does not satisfy them, he said.

Quoting arguments from the book Super Capitalism, he said democracy had not worked in the country, as it had become a tool of the rich.

Eva Sundari of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) agreed, saying that only "the haves" could enter politics.

"This is a systemic problem in political parties," she said.

Sjamsuddin Harris of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences dismissed the fears expressed by Zulkieflimansyah, saying problematic regional elections were few.

"The number of problem-free elections is overwhelming. I am not that pessimistic," he said.

Rachman Tolleng, a senior political analyst, said politics was a calling and not a place to enrich oneself.

The talk was attended by representatives from seven political parties joining the KID's political discussion group, which started last June.

KID launched a book of excerpts of their discussions from August to December before the event. The group allows leaders of political parties to share their experiences.

Recalling one of his recent experiences, Zulkieflimansyah said he was once asked to perform an Islamic rite in Banten where he had to change his trousers for a sarong to take part.

"I was really astounded by their request. Just imagine, I was just doing such a simple thing," he said, "and there are a lot of things like this."