Greetings Commando Bambang Pacul-Ganjar At The PDIP National Working Meeting, Efforts To Stop The Rift Issue?

Bambang Pacul/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - The opening of the National Working Meeting (Rakernas) of the PDI-P (PDIP) on Tuesday, June 21 was boisterous with shouts of 'Freedom' from the cadres present. This commotion was because the Governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo and the Chairman of the Election Winning Body (Bappilu) Bambang Wuryanto or Bambang Pacul gave a command greeting.

This moment then became the spotlight. The reason is that the relationship between Ganjar and Bambang Pacul is considered not to be good because mutual sarcasm often occurs.

Met on the second day of the PDIP National Working Meeting, Tuesday, June 22, Ganjar admitted that the command greeting between himself and Bambang Pacul occurred spontaneously. Neither party deliberately made this moment.

"It was just spontaneous. Greetings from the command," said Ganjar at the PDIP Party School, Lenteng Agung.

The former member of the DPR RI later said that the moment was actually normal. However, because it was witnessed by PDIP cadres from the constituencies (dapil) of Central Java, the atmosphere became noisy.

At that moment, Bambang Pacul and Ganjar were accompanied by the Secretary General of the PDIP Hasto Kristiyanto and the Deputy Secretary General of the PDIP Utut Adianto.

"It's normal. All of the constituencies are Central Java, 'greetings to the command', Mas Hasto comes along, Mas Utut. You're in the same electoral district as me," said Ganjar.

When asked about the news of the rift with Bambang Pacul, Ganjar likened a relationship to the weather, which can sometimes be cloudy and then turn bright.

However, he denied that his relationship with Bambang Pacul was stretched to the point of cracking. Their relationship is fine and still as before.

"It's like the weather forecast, sometimes it rains sometimes it's hot. Mas Pacul is my friend at UGM, my senior. We used to be together at the secretary general, at the training and education department with me, in the faction with me. So it's normal," said Ganjar.

Ganjar emphasized that the 'command greetings' were merely to show concretely the cohesiveness among PDIP cadres, in accordance with the direction of PDIP General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri. Moreover, it happened on the sidelines of the National Working Meeting which was attended by many party cadres.

"Greetings to the command, yes, we will show it. This, right, the National Working Meeting, we must be united from the chairman's order," he said.

Separately, Bambang Pacul also talked about the command greeting. He said, that moment indicated that he and Ganjar had one command.

"Speaking of greeting commands, it means that we are ready to receive orders. Pak Ganjar and Bambang Pacul are ready to accept orders as fellow party cadres," said Bambang.

Bambang emphasized that the handshake witnessed by the National Working Meeting participants was a sign that both parties were ready to accept orders from the PDIP General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri.

"Who gave the command? You understand. It means that you have one command, boss," he said.

Bambang Pacul several times had satirized Ganjar. Lastly, he even once called Ganjar the word 'kemajon' or outrageous.

In addition, he once 'blocked' Ganjar's desire to run as a presidential candidate from the PDIP in the 2024 election. The moment occurred after an internal PDIP consolidation meeting chaired by DPP Chair Puan Maharani.

At that time, Ganjar who was the Governor of Central Java was not invited even though he was a PDIP cadre. In fact, at the event, all regional heads, members of the DPR, members of the provincial DPRD to districts throughout Central Java were present at the Central Java PDIP DPD Office, Panti Marhaen Semarang, Saturday, May 22, 2021.

"Not invited! (Ganjar) wis kemajon (too late). Yen kowe is smart, ojo cheminter (If you're smart, don't be smart)," said Bambang Wuryanto, chairman of the PDIP DPP for Election Winning and Chairman of the Central Java PDI-P DPD.

Not until there, Bambang also once called the volunteer supporters of Ganjar Pranowo a wild boar. The reason is that they made the declaration earlier than the PDIP General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri.