PDIP Surabaya Cadre Declares Ketaton Bull Support Machfud Arifin-Mujiaman

SURABAYA - A number of PDIP Surabaya cadres declared Banteng Ketaton by transferring support to the pair of candidates for mayor and deputy mayor of Surabaya Machfud Arifin and Mujiaman in the Surabaya Pilkada.

"The target of the Surabaya Ketaton Bull is not grandiose, it only diverts 40 percent of the PDI Perjuangan Surabaya votes to elect the MA and Mujiaman pairs," said the chairman of the Benteng Ketaton declaration, Andreas Widodo during the Bull Ketaton declaration on Jalan Raya Pandegiling, Surabaya, quoted by Antara, Sunday, November 8th.

Andreas emphasized that the sympathizers of this movement were PDI-P cadres in Surabaya. They shifted support to the MA-Mujiaman pair because they were disappointed with the decision of the PDI-P DPP that did not provide recommendations for the Surabaya Pilkada to the original cadres.

To achieve this mission, he continued, Banteng Ketaton sympathizers will continue to guerrilla throughout the Surabaya area with the aim of inviting PDIP Surabaya residents to choose MA and Mujiaman.

"We know that many party structures are also hurt. But they do not dare to openly for fear of the threat of dismissal from the PDI-P DPP," said Andreas.

Meanwhile, the initiator of the Banteng Ketaton Surabaya, Sunardi, stated that the Banteng Ketaton declaration on Jalan Raya Pandegiling had a specific purpose. Because, he continued, the area was known as the basis for the PDI-P.

"We, the Surabaya Ketaton Banteng, will show the public that the people or PDI Perjuangan Surabaya residents have actually opposed and disagreed with the candidate pairs Eri and Armuji," said Gus Nar, Sunardi's nickname.

The Bull Ketaton Declaration is an open rejection of the umpteenth PDI Perjuangan cadre for the appointment of Eri Cahyadi-Armuji as a candidate pair for mayor and deputy city of Surabaya. Previously, the senior PDI Perjuangan cadre in Surabaya, Mat Muchtar, openly rejected the Eri-Armuji pair and shifted his support to Machfud Arifin-Mujiaman.

Deputy Secretary of the PDI Perjuangan Surabaya DPC, Achmad Hidayat, previously asked the Surabaya Bawaslu to take firm action against the spread of provocative banners that were deemed dangerous for security, peace and comfort in the Surabaya Pilkada.

The banner reads "Ojok Gelem Dibujuki, Eri-Armudji Sits Risma. Understand? Surabaya Ketaton Bull Ready to Win Machfud Arifin-Mujiaman". On the banner there is a description of the maker, namely "Banteng Ketaton Kota Surabaya" with a bull head logo.

"The group that made it called itself 'Banteng Ketaton Kota Surabaya'. Obviously this is aimed at functionaries, cadres and sympathizers of the PDI Perjuangan who have a bull head logo and are familiar with the community calling PDI Perjuangan cadres and sympathizers as 'banteng-banteng'," he said.

The banner, continued Achmad, seemed clear that it was intended to play one another and incite among bull cadres at the grassroots, so that in the end friction could arise which could lead to violence.

It is known that the 2020 Surabaya Pilkada was followed by the pair of Candidates for Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Surabaya, Eri Cahyadi and Armuji. The candidate pair number 01 was carried by PDI Perjuangan and supported by PSI. In addition, they also get additional strength from six non-parliamentary political parties, namely the Bulan Bintang Party (PBB), the Hanura Party, the Berkarya Party, PKPI, and the Garuda Party.

Meanwhile, the pair Machfud Arifin-Mujiaman with serial number 02 was carried by a coalition of eight parties, namely PKB, PPP, PAN, Golkar, Gerindra, PKS, Democrat and Nasdem Party and supported by a non-parliamentary party, namely the Perindo Party.