Observer: Returning the Recommendation from PDIP, Mulyadi-Ali Wants to Secure the West Sumatra Election's Voters

Mulyadi-Ali Mukhni saat mendaftar Pilgub Sumbar ke KPU (Foto Antara)

JAKARTA - A political observer from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) event, Aisah Putri Budiarti, assessed that Mulyadi-Ali wanted to secure their position in the regional head election by returning the PDIP recommendation. 

It is because of the controversial statement of Puan Maharani, about the hope that people in West Sumatra could support Pancasila. 

"I think it was triggered because of Puan's statement. They took this choice to find safety for the winning process in the future. Because later, the polemic of Puan's statement could have an impact on their election or become a weapon for their political opponents to attack them," Putri said, Monday, September 7.

This support rejection also aims to show their political stance, if West Sumatra isn't like what Puan mentioned. At the same time, it also aims to win the support of constituents who are antipathy with this statement.

Meanwhile, regarding political support, he said the Mulyadi-Ali Mukhni pair would not experience any disturbances. Without the support of the PDIP, this pair still has enough support from the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Democrats with 10 seats each.

"So without PDIP support, we can still move forward," he said.

A political observer from Al-Azhar University Indonesia, Ujang Komarudin, made the same assessment. According to him, it is rational for the Mulyadi-Ali Mukhni pair to return PDIP support. This support could be detrimental to the candidacy. Because of the aftermath of Puan's statement.

"It is the right step. So, they don't lose before going to war," said Ujang. 

"This statement will make the people of West Sumatra not sympathetic to them both. So the return of the decree is to cut the chain of even greater losses. It is a sensitive issue, so it must be cut," he added.

The Executive Director of Indonesia Political Review also said there was no loss for the pair by returning this support. It is because by returning this recommendation, they will close the polemic. The people of West Sumatra will note hate them. 

"The only thing is that PDIP will hate it, but that is a rational choice in politics," said Ujang.

The polemic of Puan's statement took place on Wednesday, September 2, when she read out the recommendation from the PDIP to the regional head candidates. After announcing the support for the Mulyadi-Ali Mukhni pair, Puan Maharani said that, hopefully, West Sumatra could become a province that supports Pancasila.

Before long, this statement became a polemic and led to the return of the PDIP recommendation by Mulyadi-Ali Mukhni. 

"PDI-P would like to thank Mulyadi. From the beginning, I suspected that Mulyadi was not strong in his leadership position, so he could easily waver in the dialectic of ideology," he said in a written statement, Sunday, September 6.

Furthermore, after the return of this recommendation, the Chairman of the West Sumatra PDIP DPD, Alex Indra Lukman, stated that from the results of the internal meeting, the PDIP would not participate in the West Sumatra Election.