Golkar Can Take Brave Steps, Carry Airlangga Hartarto As Prabowo's Prospective Companion

JAKARTA - The Golkar Party took bold steps by proposing Airlangga Hartarto as a candidate for Vice President for Presidential Candidate Prabowo Subianto in the 2024 presidential election. This proposal is not without reason, he is considered to have high bargaining power to side by side with the General Chair of the Gerindra Party.

"Golkar's opportunity to encourage its cadres to become Prabowo Subianto's vice presidential candidate, is quite large," said Paramadina University political communication observer Hendri Satrio, when contacted on Sunday, August 13, 2023.

He considered Airlangga Hartarto to have a track record in the economic sector. Hendri said Airlangga's opportunity to become a vice presidential candidate also needed to take into account the lobbying carried out by PAN.

As is known, PAN encouraged the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir to run as Prabowo's partner. "In the coalition there are still PANs that are aggressively encouraging Erick Thohir. We will see how it will be," he said. Even so, Golkar is said to still have a great opportunity compared to PAN, the way is to approach the Mayor of Solo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is the son of President Joko Widodo. The Golkar Party can recruit Gibran as a cadre of the party bearing the banyan symbol.

"One thing that needs to be considered is the presence of Gibran. With the presence of Gibran, Golkar can continue to encourage its cadres to become Mr. Prabowo's vice presidential candidate. The condition is to appoint Gibran as a Golkar cadre," he said.

Hendri assessed that Golkar's bargaining point in the coalition was still large. The Golkar Party is considered solid despite the issue of extraordinary deliberation (munaslub). But he emphasized that with the entry of the Golkar Party into the Prabowo coalition, the bargaining position was changed into a political lobby. "Golkar's bargaining point is very large, but because Golkar has joined the coalition, bargaining is a lobby with other parties to encourage Airlangga to become a vice presidential candidate," he said.

Hendri explained that in gaining votes, the Golkar Party could recruit Gibran to join the party. However, according to him, it is not the young people targeted. But the voices of President Joko Widodo's supporters. In addition, according to him, Gibran also has the potential to get votes from the state civil apparatus (ASN).

"The entry of Gibran is the voice of Jokowi's supporters. So it is not young people who are targeted, but the ranks of the apparatus and Jokowi's supporters. It is not about young people," he said.