"The election is still far away, more than three and a half years away. We will think whether the nation still needs (me)," he said after receiving the chairman of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Irman Gusman at the Red Cross building here on Monday.
Kalla who is now chief of the country`s Red Cross made the statement when newsmen asked him about the fact that his name was recently mentioned as one of the Golkar Party`s possible candidates for the presidential race in 2014.
He said the election was still far away and therefore he still has yet to study future political developments.
Golkar Party senior politician Lili Asdjudiredja had earlier said that the party would select its presidential candidate from among its best cadres.
He said five cadres had been chosen for further selection through surveys, namely Jusuf Kalla, party general chairman Aburizal Bakrie, party advisory board chairman Akbar Tanjung, party deputy general chairman Fadel Muhammad and party deputy general chairman Agung Laksono.
Golkar Party associate chairman Priyo Budi Santoso meanwhile had said that the party had not yet discussed presidential candidates yet to clarify Lili`s statement.
He said the discussion would only be held in 2012 at the earliest.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will no longer seek reelection in 2014 because has already held the post for two consecutive terms.
A new party, SRI Party, meanwhile has registered itself with the ministry of justice and human rights and declared that it will nominate former financial minister Sri Mulyani who is now a managing director of the World Bank, as its presidential candidate for the 2014 election.
(SYS/H-YH/B003)
Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
