Weeks earlier Megawati was said to have offered Kalla to be her running mate in the 2004 presidential election. It was Megawatis husband Taufiq Kiemas who, it was said, signaled the offer to Kalla.

Kalla didnt decline the offer outright. He knew the ball was in his hands. As a presidential candidate who largely relied only on voter sentiments for the Sukarno family, Megawati needed Kalla. Kalla symbolized East Indonesia and he could be an asset of