PDI-P’s Ganjar Pranowo seeks Golkar’s support for Presidential Election 2024

INDONESIA: Ganjar Pranowo, the potential presidential candidate from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), expressed his hope that the Golkar Party would soon decide to support him in the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election (Pilpres).

He made this statement after a meeting between the Chairman of Golkar, Airlangga Hartarto, and PDI-P’s General Chairwoman, Puan Maharani, took place on last Thursday (27 Jul).

“Yes. (Airlangga) had already met with Mbak Puan, hopefully, they can soon come to a decision that Golkar takes, so we can be together,” said Ganjar when met at Ancol, Jakarta, on Sunday (30 Jul).

In the aftermath of the meeting, both parties agreed to form a technical team to explore political cooperation in preparation for the 2024 General Election.

The cooperation aims to enhance Ganjar Pranowo’s chances of winning the presidential race. Ganjar emphasized the significance of Golkar’s support, saying, “We are eagerly awaiting Golkar’s decision, and if they decide to support us, it would be very encouraging to have more support from the public and other political parties.”

Said Abdullah, the Chairman of PDI-P’s Economic Division

Said Abdullah, the Chairman of PDI-P’s Economic Division, commended the progress in the discussions, stating that Golkar’s understanding was in line with the other parties that have previously formed political alliances with PDI-P to endorse Ganjar Pranowo as their presidential candidate.

“In terms of the productivity of the meeting, firstly, we assess that the Golkar Party shares a similar understanding with other parties that have previously established political cooperation with PDI-P to endorse Ganjar Pranowo as a presidential candidate in the 2024 General Election,” said Said in a press statement on last Friday (28 Jul).

Secondly, Said stated that the seriousness of the meeting between PDI-P and Golkar was agreed upon with the formation of a technical team representing both parties. This technical team will formulate a concrete plan for cooperation between the two parties.

Said mentioned that the results and agreements made by the technical team will be presented to the leadership of both parties as the foundation and basis for their collaboration and cooperation between PDI-P and Golkar.

Hasto Kristiyanto, the Secretary-General of PDI-P, also acknowledged Golkar’s signal of support for Ganjar Pranowo in the 2024 presidential race. He attributed this to the efforts of Puan Maharani, who was entrusted by the PDI-P Chairwoman, Megawati Soekarnoputri, to engage in dialogues with other political party leaders to secure victory in the 2024 presidential and legislative elections.

However, it’s worth noting that Golkar will perform a thorough calculation before officially declaring their political alliance in support of Ganjar Pranowo’s candidacy.

Furthermore, the issue of the vice-presidential candidate remains a topic of interest, with Golkar suggesting Ridwan Kamil as a potential candidate.

Hasto Kristiyanto diplomatically stated that they await Megawati Soekarnoputri’s dialogue with other party leaders to decide on the best vice-presidential candidate.

Melchias Markus Mekeng, the Vice Chairman of Golkar.

In response to the recent developments, Melchias Markus Mekeng, the Vice Chairman of Golkar, and Alien Mus, the Chairman of Golkar’s North Maluku Regional Board, expressed their optimism about the warm and amicable political communication between Airlangga Hartarto and Puan Maharani.

Alien Mus also highlighted the importance of the meeting, as it marked the second time the two leaders had engaged in dialogue.

Similarly, Achmad Baidowi alias Awiek, the Chairman of the Central Board of the United Development Party (PPP), praised the meeting between Airlangga and Puan as a positive sign. He stated that the potential coalition between Golkar and PDI-P indicates promising progress toward their shared goals and aspirations for Indonesia.

“Perhaps later, Golkar could join us in supporting Pak Ganjar, so that our aspiration of forming United Indonesia Coalition (KIB) Plus can be realized, can come true,” he said.

In response to the developing collaboration, Puan Maharani emphasized that the technical team from PDI-P and Golkar would work towards identifying common ground between the two parties in preparation for the 2024 General Election.

She emphasized the need for cooperation and mutual support among all parties to build a prosperous, just, and united Indonesia.

Airlangga Hartarto echoed her sentiments, stressing the longstanding similarities and shared vision between Golkar and PDI-P during their ten-year coalition in President Joko Widodo’s government. He highlighted their common goal of a prosperous and united Indonesia.