Assessing The Importance Of Volunteers For Golkar, PDIP And PKB
JAKARTA - Volunteers for presidential candidates and vice presidential candidates for the 2024 presidential election (Pilpres) have recently emerged. Political dynamics are also getting warmer ahead of the 5-year democratic party contestation which will be held in approximately 2-3 years.
There are those who call themselves Friends of Ganjar, Ganjarist, GP Mania and others to support Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, Sahabat Puan to support DPR Speaker Puan Maharani, Kawan Sandi to support Menparekraf Sandiaga Uno, ANIES Volunteer for DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, not to mention volunteers Prabowo Subianto and other presidential candidates.
Recently, a group of people who call themselves as Volunteers for Supporting the Love of the Republic (PCR) have declared their support for Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir as presidential and vice presidential candidates in the 2024 Presidential Election (Pilpres).
So, how important is volunteering for political parties?
PDIP: Volunteers are Political and Electoral Assets
The chairman of the DPP PDIP, Andreas Hugo Pareira, admitted that he had no problem with the phenomenon of the emergence of volunteers for PDIP candidates. It is known, currently there are volunteers from Sahabat Ganjar to Sahabat Puan for the 2024 presidential election.
"There are a lot of questions now that there are volunteers. Incidentally, this PDIP has at least one. In the process leading to 2024, there are more than one nominated in these candidacy processes. There are many questions, there are this volunteer, this volunteer, I said that. no question," said Hugo at the DPR Building, Thursday, November 11.
According to him, volunteers are a political asset that the party needs to protect. Because he said, volunteers have electoral power to win the candidate who will be promoted.
"I see from this experience, this volunteer is indeed an asset. This is a political asset, an electoral asset that must be managed properly, managed properly. So that with him it becomes a political force to provide support to candidates who will be decided by the party," said Andreas.
This success, according to him, was proven when volunteers played a role in Joko Widodo's victory in 2014 and 2019. "So the volunteer factor did boost up, making politics lively. It's lively in terms of the level of participation, but also this encourages electability and also the winning party," Andreas said.
Regarding who the PDIP will carry, Andreas stated that it has not yet been decided and is entirely in the hands of General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri.
However, Andreas hopes that the appearance of the volunteers will be the driving force behind the victory of the candidate who will be promoted by PDIP. " he said.
Golkar: Volunteering for Presidential Candidates is a Positive Phenomenon
Deputy Chairman of Golkar, Nurdin Halid, stated that the emergence of volunteer groups supporting the presidential and vice presidential candidates recently was a positive phenomenon.
"In my opinion, the emergence of volunteers is a very positive phenomenon," said Nurdin Halid in the Dialectic of Democracy discussion with the theme "The Phenomenon of the Emergence of Volunteers for Presidential Candidates from an Early Age: Who Has Ambitions?", at the DPR Building, Thursday, November 11.
According to him, presidential candidates must be seen as a grassroots movement that wants to get a leader who is legitimate, good, and in accordance with their expectations. He said that there were at least three positive things from the emergence of volunteer groups from an early age. emergence? It depends on the strategic choice, related to the desired political interests of the championed figure," he said.
PKB: Volunteers Reduce Expensive Political Costs
Faction member (PKB) Yanuar Prihatin, assessed that the presence of volunteers in political contestations cannot be underestimated. The reason is that volunteers are considered to have a big contribution and can even reduce political costs.
"I appreciate the very important position of volunteers as part of dynamizing democracy, accelerating participation that is far more qualified and providing an extraordinary effect of reducing political costs," said Yanuar at the DPR Building, Thursday, November 11.
Historically, he continued, in the world of Indonesian politics, there is nothing unique or strange about the position of volunteers.
"But I want to convey, the position of volunteers becomes very important when we see that our democracy is very expensive," said the member of Commission II of the DPR.
Volunteers, he said, are also effective in campaigning for supported figures. In fact, they move on their own initiative. Yanuar saw the effectiveness of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) volunteers during the 2019 Presidential Election (Pilpres). They were compact to increase Jokowi's electability.
"How volunteers work, how at the national, provincial, and even local levels, some of the initiatives appear voluntarily," he said. According to Yanuar, the totality of volunteers was formed because of mutual awareness so that the activities of the volunteers wholeheartedly support the champion figure. "Collective work is based on common interests, yes, but more than that, common habits, networking similarities and even cultural similarities," said Yanuar.