Measuring The Reasons PDIP Has Not Announced Candidates For Mayor Of Surabaya To Replace Risma

JAKARTA - PDI Perjuangan has announced all candidates for regional head which will be carried out in four waves. However, until now, the party bearing the bull symbol has not announced who it will champion in the 2020 Surabaya Mayor Election to replace Tri Rismaharini, who has served for two terms.

Political observer from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Aisah Putri Budiarti assessed that the PDIP has not announced its champion in this city of heroes because they are still weighing the candidates and mapping the chances of winning the candidates they will carry. This is important because Surabaya is a very important city for Megawati Soekarnoputri's party.

"We know that Surabaya is a PDIP voting base city and the banteng party has always won in the last several elections. PDIP certainly has a strong desire to defend this victory," Putri said when contacted by VOI, Tuesday, September 1.

It's just that the PDIP has to face tougher challenges in this year's Surabaya Pilwalkot. Because, what will be carried out later is not an incumbent candidate like five years ago when the party brought back Risma, who was considered more capable and had to fight Machfud Arifin.

It is known, currently at the Surabaya Pilwalkot, the former East Java Regional Police Chief Machfud Arifin has been promoted by a number of parties such as Golkar, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Mandate Party (PAN), Gerindra, the United Development Party (PPP), Democrats, and NasDem.

Putri said that whoever was promoted by PDIP would have an impact on the strategy that was used. Seeing the large amount of support for Machfud Arifin, Putri is of the opinion that the PDIP will carry out its own candidate.

"So that the strategy must be ready and mature, especially for the internal PDIP itself. In this process, the party may be preparing the most appropriate strategy in the campaign following the choice of candidates it will carry," he explained.

Furthermore, he said that PDIP, which is a strong party in Surabaya, certainly has local cadres who have the potential to be promoted in the Pilwalkot.

"However, the problem is how then these cadres can win and get strong support with the internal dynamics of PDIP and the dynamics of local politics in Surabaya, which of course always develop, especially after entering the Pilkada stage," said Putri.

"So to be able to win this election, PDIP must carefully weigh and decide on the candidate it carries as well as map out the chances of winning before it is announced in the final," he added.

Executive Director of Indonesia Political Review, Ujang Komarudin, actually has a different assessment regarding the PDIP's attitude in the 2020 Surabaya Pilwalkot. According to him, the PDIP is currently in a state of confusion.

"PDIP may be upset because the opponents faced in the event could be strong opponents because they bought almost all of the party's support. Second, it could also be after Risma, they thought there were no cadres ready," he said.

Thus, this party was very careful in determining their choice and did not rush to determine candidates in Surabaya. "Because of the wrong support for the candidate, what will happen later the PDIP power in Surabaya will move to the hands of other parties," he said.

Previously, on Friday, August 28, PDIP canceled its candidate in the Surabaya Pilwalkot. The announcement was canceled on the pretext of technical problems.

According to the Chairperson of the PDIP DPP Puan Maharani, his party has already obtained recommendations for candidates for the mayor of Surabaya. However, the announcement had to be postponed because the East Java PDIP DPD and Surabaya DPC did not have a connection in the online announcement.

"Because it has not been connected, it will be announced at a time that will be announced again," said Puan in the online announcement.

The cancellation of this announcement was followed by a party consolidation which was held on Sunday, August 31. During his visit to the DPD PDIP East Java, PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto emphasized that his party does not want the leadership in Surabata City to fall into the wrong hands or those who are supported by large funds.

So they emphasized that they would not choose candidates for mayor in the city of heroes arbitrarily. "The future leadership of the city of Surabaya is the continuity of the vision and mission that has been put in place by the previous mayor, Mas Bambang DH, Mrs. Risma, and especially the continuity of hopes for the little people so that Surabaya will continue to be led by those who have a populist spirit," said Hasto in the consolidation.