Gerindra Urges Democratic Politicians To 'Think First' Before Calling Jokowi The War Because Of The Presidential Election

Daily Chairperson of the Gerindra Party DPP Sufmi Dasco Ahmad. (Personal Instagram)

JAKARTA - The daily chairman of the Gerindra DPP, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, asked Democrat politician Benny K Harman to think long before giving a provocative statement by calling President Jokowi to play a war if he is not neutral in the 2024 presidential election.

Dasco emphasized that there was no directive regarding the coalition in the meeting of six general chairmen of government-supporting political parties at the Palace. He ensured that the meeting purely discussed the challenges that Indonesia would face in the future.

"That's pure friendship and discussing geopoliticals with the latest updates and challenges of Indonesia. Well, that then there are underestimates, I actually appeal to that, what was stated was studied first, studied first, is that true," said Dasco at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Tuesday, May 9. Dasco also responded to the statement of former Vice President Jusuf Kalla (JK) who asked Jokowi not to interfere too much with political affairs. Even suggesting Jokowi imitate his predecessors, Megawati and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). As parties in the government coalition, Dasco said, Gerindra never felt any intervention from Jokowi in determining the presidential candidate.

"Until now, Prabowo, who was nominated by the Gerindra Party through Rapimnas, has never felt mixed, let alone mixed too deeply by the President," said Dasco. "Because there has never been a single President then stated or said that as a coalition party supporting the government, for example Gerindra, it has to be like this, Pak Prabowo has to be like this, nothing," he continued.

The deputy chairman of the DPR assessed that if the President had interfered in the affairs of the presidential election, Prabowo would definitely be banned from running as a presidential candidate. However, said Dasco, the fact is not so. He emphasized that the affairs of the vice presidential candidate for the Greater Indonesia Awakening Coalition (KKIR) were still decided by Prabowo and Muhaimin Iskandar.

"There is no (force, ed), if that's the case Pak Prabowo is prohibited from advancing, there is no prohibition from advancing. The vice presidential candidate is also up to who we want to choose because we also have an agreement with PKB," he explained. "Yes, we are also discussing the issue of vice president without intervention from the government or from the President," said Dasco.