Airlangga Affirms Support For Prabowo There Is An Instruction

Chairman of the Golkar Party Airlangga Hartarto gave a statement to reporters at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday (27/9/2023). ANTARA/Indra Arief Pribadi

JAKARTA - Golkar Party Chairman Airlangga Hartarto said Golkar's vote support for presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto had been decided and had become an instruction for all cadres.

"The president's voice (candidate, ed) has been cut off, there have been instructions," said Airlangga Hartarto at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday, answering reporters' questions regarding the news that Golkar's vote had not unanimously supported Prabowo as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, September 27.

Airlangga also responded to the results of the Kompas Research and Development survey which stated that the most Golkar constituents had not yet determined their choice of presidential candidates compared to other party constituents.

Reporting from the Kompas Research and Development Report, there were 37.8 percent of Golkar Party voters who had not yet determined their choice of presidential candidate.

"We haven't decided yet. This means that we have 'defined' the presidential candidate, the other (cawapres) has not been decided," he said.

Airlangga said that the prospective vice presidential candidate which would later be decided by Golkar must certainly be in accordance with the expectations of the people.

"Hope for the people," said Airlangga in response to the possibility that the vice presidential candidate to be carried did not meet Golkar's expectations.

Airlangga said Golkar continued to open communication with other parties to discuss political maps ahead of the 2024 election contestation.

One of them was the result of a meeting between the Chairperson of the PDIP DPP Puan Maharani and the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan some time ago.

"It was a meeting a few weeks ago, it's normal. Communication already exists, many are'reported', political matters are certain, right," he said.

Airlangga also could not confirm whether the meeting was a PDIP political strategy to withdraw Golkar to PDIP.

"If it has to be said directly," he said.

Airlangga also answered the actual situation surrounding the influence of the political year in the ranks of ministers of the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet. "Very good. Everything is still happy," he added.