Golkar-PPP-PAN Coalition, Observers Reveal The Opportunity Of Airlangga Collaborating With Ridwan Kamil In The 2024 Presidential Election

Ridwan Kamil met Airlangga Hartarto on 15 May. (Ist)

JAKARTA - Political observer from the Indonesian Education University (UPI) Karim Suryadi assesses that West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil alias RK has a great chance of being carried by the United Indonesia Coalition in the 2024 Presidential Election (Pilpres).

According to him, Ridwan Kamil has strong capital to be encouraged to become a candidate from the coalition formed by Golkar, PPP, and PAN because it is easy to polish as a political market force.

"Pak RK (Ridwan Kamil) as the governor with the highest voter turnout [based on the 2019 election] is coupled with his achievements, and it becomes a tempting political capital," said Suryadi in Jakarta, Tuesday 17 May.

Recently, Ridwan Kamil has also established a relationship with a number of general chairmen and party officials who are members of the United Indonesia Coalition. Suryadi said the meeting was seen as a good sign.

When he visited the General Chair of the Golkar Party, Airlangga Hartarto, the communication between the two also seemed "warm" without any barriers.

From that meeting, Suryadi considered that the possibility of Airlangga Hartarto's duet with Ridwan Kamil in the 2024 presidential election was wide open. However, Suryadi said that Ridwan Kamil's appointment as a candidate for the United Indonesia Coalition was still very dynamic. He said that all prospective candidates who had electoral capital at this time would still continue to maneuver.

From Ridwan Kamil's perspective, Suryadi said that the former Mayor of Bandung would look at various aspects when he was nominated in the 2024 presidential election. Apart from psychological proximity, what he wanted to see was a more comprehensive coalition. What is certain is that Mr. RK's popularity, which several survey agencies have mentioned as being in the top four, is a political fact that cannot be ignored," he said.

As is known, Golkar, PPP, and PAN agreed to form the United Indonesia Coalition. The coalition was formed after the general leaders of the three parties met in the Menteng area, Central Jakarta, Thursday, May 12.

After the formation of the coalition, Ridwan Kamil visited Airlangga Hartarto at the official residence of the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs in the South Jakarta area on Sunday, May 15 afternoon.

When he met Airlangga, Ridwan Kamil wore a white shirt wrapped in a brown jacket. He was accompanied by his wife, Atalia Praratya.

On the same day, Ridwan Kamil also met the General Chairman of PAN Zulkifli Hasan alias Zulhas. The closed-door meeting took place at Zulhas' residence in Widya Chandra, South Jakarta.

Meanwhile, with the General Chairperson of PPP, Suharso Monaarfa, Ridwan Kamil has yet to hold a meeting. It is known that Suharso was abroad when Ridwan Kamil visited Airlangga and Zulhas for one day.