PKB Reveals Reasons For Joining Prabowo's Government: The Challenges For The Next Five Years Are Getting Tougher

JAKARTA - The decision of the National Awakening Party (PKB) to join the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka government is said to be through careful consideration and not just a short-term political interest.

PKB Daily Chair Ais Syafiyah Ashfar said PKB Chairman Muhaimin Iskandar wanted his party to be part of the nation's solution which he felt was not in good condition.

"Gus Muhaimin and PKB want to be actively involved in solving economic problems and various social diseases that burden us every day," said Ais in his statement, Wednesday, October 16.

Ais said that Indonesia is now facing tough challenges in the next five years, especially in the economic and social fields. This requires collaboration from all elements of the nation to overcome it.

"We view Indonesia's challenges in the next five years to be very difficult, especially in the economic and social fields. So PKB decided to join Pak Prabowo's cabinet as a form of collaboration between the nation's children in solving these challenges," he said.

Ais explained that the economic pressure of the community in recent times has been quite heavy. In the last five months, for example, there has been a decrease in the price of goods and services (deflation) due to the lack of money circulation in the community.

"The purchasing power of our people is indeed worrying, based on data from BPS for the last five months there has been deflation starting at 0.03 percent in May 2024, then decreasing 0.08 percent in June, 0.18 percent in July, 0.03 percent in August, and 0.12 in September 2024," explained Ais.

The economic downturn, said Ais, has made millions of middle classes fall into poor groups. This situation threatens state revenue from the tax sector because the middle group has been the main motorbike of taxpayers.

Middle class income is eroded for basic needs such as children's school fees, daily necessities to transportation costs. If this condition continues, it could be that we will slump in the future," explained Ais.

Therefore, President-elect Prabowo Subianto's desire to invite all parties including PKB is expected to be able to solve these various tough challenges.

"The appointment of the elected president to General Chair Gus Muhaimin to be part of our cabinet is appreciated because only with the collaboration of various economic and social challenges that we are currently facing can be resolved," he added.