PDIP Criticized For Bringing The Contestation Too Early, Golkar: Instead, The Coalition Was Formed From An Early Age To Prevent Polarization

Illustration-Unsplash

JAKARTA - The Secretary General of the Golkar Party, Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus, responded to the statement by the Secretary General of the PDIP Hasto Kristiyanto who criticized Golkar, PAN and PPP for bringing the contestation too early by forming the United Indonesia Coalition (KIB).

According to Lodewijk, the coalition was formed early to prevent polarization like what happened in the 2019 Presidential Election. Because at that time, there were only two pairs of candidates contesting the presidential election.

"It's too early to say that how do we build democracy as a result of the 2019 evaluation," said Lodewijk at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Friday, May 20.

The Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives said that the results of the evaluation of the 2019 Presidential Election had caused divisions in society. So, said Lodewijk, it is a commitment for KIB to prevent the division from happening again by presenting more than two pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates.

"Here we provide space for the formation of three coalitions. So it's not just the two like yesterday, we have given space from the start," he said.

Previously, the Secretary General of the PDI-P (PDIP) Hasto Kristiyanto understood that each party needed to prepare for the 2024 General Election. However, he reminded that the interests of the people must remain the focus of all parties.

"PDIP realizes that every party is also getting ready to contest in (Election, ed) 2024, but the interests of the people must be prioritized," Hasto told reporters at Banteng Square, Central Jakarta, Friday, May 20.

This is the reason why the party bearing the bull symbol refuses to follow the steps of PAN, PPP, and Golkar which have formed a coalition called the United Indonesia Coalition. He emphasized that PDIP's main focus is currently helping the government restore many sectors that had been hit by the pandemic.

"Don't take the contest too early and then waste our energy for the improvement and progress of the nation and the post-pandemic state. This is what we encourage," he added.

Hasto reminded the election that there are stages. So, PDIP has not thought about a coalition.

PDIP, he continued, is currently focusing on guarding President Jokowi's government and solving problems in the community. Moreover, currently conditions in the country are facing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia war.

"There are stages in the election. There is a priority scale," he said.

"We share limited energy, the focus is limited energy for the people at this time until there is time to build political party cooperation," added Hasto.