Father Crawling From Below, Children Passing Above: Differences Between Jokowi And Gibran In The Solo Pilkada

JAKARTA - The election for the mayor (Pilwalkot) for Solo 2020 is one of the most highlighted because of the nomination of the son of Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Gibran seemed to want to repeat the glory of his parents who had won 91 percent of the votes in Pilwalkot Solo a decade ago. But the difference is, if Jokowi crawls from the bottom, Gibran is considered a hitchhike in popularity as the president's son.

Prior to joining politics, Jokowi was a furniture businessman for 20 years. He admitted that he had never imagined that he would become mayor in 2005. "I am also confused," Jokowi said briefly to the BBC.

Meanwhile, when compared to the four candidates at that time, Jokowi was nothing. In fact, at first not many people knew him.

"I want to convey in the 2005 mayoral election, I am not a famous person in the small town of Solo, there are 4 incumbent candidates, the chairman of Kadin and a well-known businessman, I am not a famous person," said Jokowi.

However, at that time Jokowi was working hard from morning to dawn to carry out the campaign. And with all his limitations at that time, he had a different way of campaigning, namely visiting residents one by one or door to door.

"I saw the world changing. What I did door to door door to door. From morning to night I did [campaign] in a small town and the result was everyone was surprised that I won even though I won by 37 percent, I won to be mayor," he explained. .

After successfully bringing about changes in Solo, Jokowi was then re-elected with 91 percent of the votes. One thing that made his name a national conversation was because he succeeded in moving street vendors, street vendors, from Banjarsari Park to Klitikan Market without causing conflict.

More than a decade later, Jokowi's footsteps in the Solo Pilkada were followed by his son, Gibran. But the difference is, if Jokowi crawls from the bottom, Gibran is considered to have stepped through a "special route" as the son of a president in the 2020 Pilkada Solo.

Gibran ran as a candidate for mayor of Solo by registering through the Central Java PDIP Regional Leadership Council (DPD). This is because his chances of advancing through the PDIP Solo Branch Leadership Council (DPC) are already closed.

Many people say that Gibran's qualification as a candidate for mayor cannot be separated from his status as Jokowi's son. He is considered to rely on good luck in this candidacy. Because, when it comes to capacity, this culinary entrepreneur is considered to be a child yesterday afternoon in the world of politics.

As quoted by Tirto, Gibran received the blessing of the PDIP General Chair, Megawati. This ruling party got rid of Achmad Purnomo, a senior PDIP cadre as well as the mayor of Solo who had been nominated by the PDIP Branch Management Board (DPC).

Gibran is considered to have cut the compass by finding a way through the PDIP DPD. He also met with Megawati before the results of the recommendations appeared.

In the end, PDIP gave Gibran's blessing, while Purnomo was eliminated. With regard to the mechanism for bringing in candidates from below and the seniority of cadres, Megawati seemed to have disallowed them.

Gibran rejected accusations of privileges as the president's son. He said there was no such thing as a shortcut, but he had gone through all the processes in his own way.

"If you make it easy, what does it make easier? All the processes I have passed, I have also fulfilled all the requirements, starting from the registration process, internal fit and proper tests, I have gone through all of them. There are no steps I have skipped, there are no short cuts," he explained when interviewed in the Mata Najwa program.

Gibran also said that his candidacy was not empty handed. He's been fighting from below. And the results of his work were proven in a survey conducted by the Public Policy Laboratory of the Slamet Riyadi University (Unisri) Surakarta.

As quoted by Kompas, the survey was conducted at 96 points with 8 respondents at each point. The survey, which tested his electability, then listed Gibran as the most popular figure.

"Of the total number of respondents, 90 percent knew Gibran," said the Head of the Surakarta Unisri Public Policy Laboratory, Suwardi. Meanwhile, Achmad Purnomo appeared in second place, and Gibran's younger brother, Kaesang, in third.

Thanks to the survey, Gibran is confident and feels ready to walk in the market for the mayoral election of Solo which will be held on December 9. The pair Gibran and Teguh Prakosa are supported by nine parties at once, namely PDIP, Golkar, Gerindra, PKB, PPP, PAN, Nasdem, PSI, and Perindo.

Meanwhile Gibran and Teguh's opponents were Bagyo Wahyono and Suparjo alias "Bajo". Bagyo is a tailor, and Suparko is an employee of a job training institute. They are candidate pairs who are carried individually or independently.

Bajo is supported by the Surya Nuswantara Foundation, a socio-cultural organization in Solo. Although their chances of victory are low, their success in garnering tens of thousands of real support from every citizen is something to be commended on.

The results of a survey by the Indonesian Public Institute (IPI), for example, noted that the electability between Gibran-Teguh and the Bajo pair at Pilwalkot Solo was too far away. According to the IPI survey, respondents selected the Gibran-Teguh pair as much as 49.7 percent, while the Bajo pair only got 1.6 percent. While the remaining 48.7 respondents have not made a choice or undecided voters.