Regarding The Call Of "Pak Lurah" Jokowi, Surya Paloh: Only Joke

Chairman of NasDem Surya Paloh and President Jokowi (Ist)

Chairman of the Nasdem Party Surya Paloh responded to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi)'s statement which is often referred to as "the village head" in determining the presidential and vice presidential candidates in the 2024 presidential election. According to Surya Paloh, the designation is only a joke.

"There are parables that all must be approved by the 'backer', I think as a joke, there is a sense of good humor in this country too," said Surya last Thursday.

Surya Paloh considered Jokowi's speech positive at the 2023 MPR Annual Session. Moreover, said Paloh, Jokowi alluded to the importance of increasing human resources (HR) and demographic bonuses.

"That's actually extraordinary if we can achieve it. The problem is whether we consider these thoughts and hopes, these targets are realistic? Or is it just spurring our motivation," said Surya Paloh.

Surya Paloh also encouraged that the target must be achieved with the available resources. Thus, he said, the target is not limited to expectations.

"Why? In my opinion, when we can achieve such achievements, we should be grateful and it is spectacular," concluded Surya Paloh.

Previously, President Joko Widodo spoke when he was accused of determining the presidential and vice-presidential candidate pairs in the 2024 presidential election. In fact, the accusation used the code "chief of the village".

"Every time I was asked who the vice presidential candidate was. The answer was, 'There has been no direction from the village head' I thought. Who is the village head. It's a little bit, Mr. lurah. Later I found out what the village head meant, it turned out to be me," said Jokowi, starting his speech at the MPR Annual Session and the 2023 DPR and DPD Joint Session at the DPR Building, Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, August 16.

"Yes, I just answered, I am not the village head. I am the president of the Republic of Indonesia. It turns out that the village head is a code," Jokowi added.

Jokowi then emphasized that the constitution and the Election Law had mandated that the pairs of presidential and vice-presidential candidates were promoted by political parties or coalitions of political parties. According to him, it is the most entitled to determine the pair of presidential and vice-presidential candidates or the chairman of a eligible political party.

"But I need to emphasize, I am not the general chairman of political parties, nor is the chairman of the coalition of parties and in accordance with the provisions of the law that determines the presidential and vice presidential candidates are political parties and coalitions of political parties," said Jokowi.

The President added that he did not have the authority to determine the presidential candidate pair, the vice presidential candidate. However, he admits that he is sometimes used as a "tameng" to seem to encourage certain presidential candidates.

"So I want to say that it is not my authority, not the authority of the village head. Even though I understand the fate of a President to be used as 'patents', used as alibis, used as shields," said Jokowi.