Gerindra Party Acknowledges Sandiaga Uno's Apology in Today's Memory, April 10, 2023

JAKARTA - Today's memory, three years ago, April 10, 2023, the Gerindra Party confirmed Sandiaga Uno's desire to say goodbye to the party with the Garuda bird head. The Chairman of the Gerindra Party, Prabowo Subianto then asked Sandi to reconsider his decision to resign.

Previously, Sandi was known as a cadre from the Gerindra Party who was prominent. Sandi was even issued by Gerindra as Deputy Governor (Wagub) of DKI Jakarta. What is special is that Sandi was also chosen by Prabowo as his companion when fighting in the 2019 Presidential Election.

Sandiaga Uno is not a new person in the political world. He is recorded to have joined the ranks as a cadre of the Gerindra Party since 2015. He then held a strategic position as a member of the Gerindra Party's advisory board.

The narrative made him a prominent Gerindra cadre. He was able to show his ability to fight in the 2017 DKI Jakarta gubernatorial election. He was chosen by the Gerindra Party to accompany Anies Baswedan against the strong candidate from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP).

They are Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) and Djarot Saiful Hidayat. The uniqueness of Anies-Sandi is able to come out as the Governor and the elected Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta. The two of them try to fix Jakarta from transportation to gardening.

Later, Sandi's name was mentioned by many people when the high-level political contestation, the 2019 presidential election, rolled. Sandi was then appointed by Prabowo Subianto to be the vice president. This decision made Sandi choose to resign from his position as the Governor of DKI Jakarta.

Sandi reasoned that there was no political interest and did not interfere with the course of government. This step made many people admire Sandi's move. Sandi is considered an example of a politician who implements dignified politics.

"Considering how big the task of a Deputy Governor is. How hard it is to work in Jakarta and avoid the risk of politicizing the position, keeping it away from the harm of officials who intervene and abuse bureaucracy, budgets, and facilities."

"Therefore, I choose to sincerely sacrifice not to take a leave, and to prioritize the interests of the people of Jakarta and the aspirations of the Indonesian people above the interests of self or groups. In this regard, my choice is to take a stance to officially declare my resignation as Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta Province for the 2017-2022 term," said Sandiaga as quoted by lamandetik.com, August 27, 2018.

The two are facing Joko Widodo (Jokowi)-Ma'ruf Amin. Prabowo-Sandi indeed lost in the 2019 presidential election. However, this does not mean that the strong relationship between Prabowo and Sandi ends. Sandi remains a cadre of Gerindra and carries out his role well.

Sandi was appointed by the Jokowi government as Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy since 2020. Later, the issue of Sandi withdrawing from the Gerindra Party brought a commotion in 2023. Sandi is rumored to be anchored to another party, the United Development Party (PPP).

The move is linked to the changing political map in the 2024 election. Many have wondered about the certainty of the news. However, the narrative of Sandi stepping down was confirmed by the Gerindra Party on April 10, 2023.

Sandi has conveyed his own desire to say goodbye to Gerindra to Prabowo. Prabowo also freed the steps that Sandi would take. However, Sandi was asked to think first so as not to make a mistake.

"Mr. Prabowo conveyed that for Sandi's sake, whether it had been considered carefully, had been thought through. Of course, it depends on Mr. Sandi. Because Mr. Prabowo is as many people as possible who want to join Gerindra will be well received," said Chairman of the Daily Party Gerindra, Sufmi Dasco as quoted by the lamankompas.com, April 10, 2023.