Chairman Of The East Java Gerindra DPD: The Duet For The Gus Irfan Islamic Boarding School - Gus Haris Is Getting Stronger

SURABAYA - Who will lead Gerindra East Java in the future is starting to spark public attention. The East Java Gerindra DPD chairman's stock is now marked by a number of names that are strengthened in the internal discussion of the party. An internal source of the Gerindra DPP said Mochamad Irfan Yusuf (Gus Irfan) and dr. Muhammad Haris (Gus Haris) is in the top position. Both are pesantren figures who are considered capable of securing the East Java political base.

Gus Irfan is the Minister of Hajj and Umrah of the Republic of Indonesia and the grandson of the founder of Nahdlatul Ulama, KH. Hasyim Asy'ari. He has strong moral legitimacy in the pesantren environment. Meanwhile, Gus Haris is the Regent of Probolinggo and the grandson of the founder of Pesantren Zainul Hasan Genggong Probolinggo and Pesantren Darul Ulum Jombang. The pesantren network is wide, reaching the Horseshoe to Madura.

However, not only those two names. Muhammad Fawait (Gus Fawait), the Regent of Jember, also entered the Gerindra radar. There is also Ahmad Dhani, a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives from Gerindra who is known widely as the frontman of the band Dewa19, and the Mayor of Malang, Wahyu Hidayat. A number of military retired journalists were also discussed as potential candidates.

Even so, it is said, President Prabowo Subianto is said to have strong preferences: pesantren figures. The reason is simple. East Java is one of the largest Islamic vote centers in Indonesia. Of the more than 40 million East Java voters, half of them still make kiai and pesantren a political reference. Gerindra must have a face that is accepted by kiai and santri," said the source.

This view is in line with the analysis of the East Java LSI Korwil Denny JA, Imam Fauzi. He assessed that Gerindra needed a millennial and adaptive Islamic boarding school character to strengthen its base in East Java ahead of the 2029 General Election.

According to Imam, Gus Irfan has a strong electoral magnet as the grandson of the founder of NU. However, he also saw that the East Java political map would be much more solid if Gus Irfan and Gus Haris were paired as chairman and secretary.

The Mataraman Duet and Horseshoe are perfect. Both are accepted by all groups. Understand the bureaucracy, understand the culture of santri, communicative, and ready to move," said Imam in a written statement received Friday, October 31.

Imam added that discussions about the duet had begun to emerge in various party organization forums and networks in East Java. Some cadres see the couple as the ideal package for Gerindra.

Survey data from a number of national institutions also show that the role of kiai and pesantren is still the main determinant in the formation of opinions and political attitudes of the people of East Java. Therefore, figures who have strong roots in pesantren are seen as not just symbols, but strategic needs.

This was also agreed by a political observer from the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), Prof. Dr. Wahyudi Winarjo. According to him, Prabowo's decision to direct the pesantren figure for East Java is a tactical political move.

Gerindra has a great opportunity to strengthen NU's base in East Java. This is the right momentum," he said.

However, the final decision regarding who will be appointed as Chairman of the East Java Gerindra DPD is entirely in Prabowo Subianto's hands.