This Is The Reason For Zulkifli Hasan To Join Jokowi, To Get A Ministerial Quota?

JAKARTA - The political decision taken by the chairman of the National Mandate Party, Zulkifli Hasan, to join a coalition supporting President Jokowi was not without careful consideration. Many have finally made Bang Zul, once he can be called steady, to join in supporting the president.

This was stated when he was a guest on the Youtube channel, Karni Ilyas Club not long ago. Before giving a rational answer to why he finally gave support to President Jokowi, he explained the fact that all this time, PAN actually had its own political stance that was different from Jokowi's. But in the end they chose to contribute to the government.

"There was a long internal discussion within PAN. As a result of the presidential election there was a sharp polarization down to the lower levels in the villages. Even though there are many things that we need to discuss and discuss, we don't get trapped in an atmosphere of hatred between one another," he said.

"Now the presidential candidate (Prabowo) we used to support has joined President Jokowi. Mr. Sandiaga Uno has also been included in the Presidential Cabinet. Who else are we going to defend? With that consideration, we decided that it would be more productive to support Mr. Jokowi," said Zulkifli Hasan.

When they are in President Jokowi's coalition, Zulkifli said, they can participate in bridging between different opinions and the President who contradict one another. "This is the role we are trying to take at this time," he said while hoping that the polarization between the two opposing camps could be reduced. By joining is expected to improve the situation.

After it became clear about the joining of PAN in President Jokowi's ranks, the next issue that emerged was that Zulkifli Hasan would get a ministerial share in the reshuffle that would be carried out. "After declaring to join President Jokowi, almost everyone asked us about whether we could get ministerial quotas. To be honest, there has been no discussion about it. The appointment of ministers is the president's prerogative. We leave everything to President Jokowi," said Zulkifli.

However, Zulkifli Hasan emphasized that it was not about ministers or other matters that were important to them after joining President Jokowi's coalition. But their ideas and thoughts from PAN can be contributed to President Jokowi in determining his direction and policies in leading. "The most important thing for us is that our thoughts can influence the president's policies," he said.