Sufmi Dasco Explains The Dynamics Of Gerindra And PKB Political Cooperation

Daily Chairperson Of The Gerindra Party DPP Sufmi Dasco Ahmad/ANTARA/Through Susthira K

JAKARTA - The daily chairman of the Gerindra Party DPP, Sufmi Dasco, explained the chronology of the dynamics of political cooperation between the Gerindra Party and PKB after the increase in the Golkar Party and PAN to carry Prabowo Subianto as a presidential candidate (candidate) in the 2024 presidential election.

"That in practice, political cooperation between the Gerindra Party and PKB has not changed, especially in terms of determining the presidential and vice presidential candidates, because both the Golkar Party and PAN submitted the vice president's election (bakal) entirely to Prabowo Subianto," said Dasco, quoted by ANTARA, Friday, September 1.

He then explained that the naming of the Advanced Indonesia Coalition (KIM) at the PAN Anniversary celebration, Jakarta, Tuesday (28/8), did not mean disbanding political cooperation between the Gerindra Party and PKB.

"Giving the name of the Advanced Indonesia Coalition does not mean disbanding political cooperation between Gerindra and PKB, and eliminating PKB rights," he said.

Because, he continued, the name change was aimed at consolidating the four political parties in a coalition to carry the General Chair of the Gerindra Party, Prabowo Subianto, in the 2024 presidential election.

"Even in his speech, Pak Prabowo said that the matter of the vice presidential candidate would be discussed together by deliberating consensus, and in particular it would be discussed with Pak Muhaimin," he said.

He explained that the naming of the Forward Indonesia Coalition occurred spontaneously at the moment of the PAN anniversary celebration, because Prabowo saw an addition of two political parties in the coalition that had just joined, namely PAN and the Golkar Party on August 13, in addition to the United Nations.

The naming of the Advanced Indonesia Coalition, he added, was given after Prabowo briefly informed and asked for approval from the General Chair of the Golkar Party Airlangga Hartarto, PAN Chairman Zulkifli Hasan, UN General Chair Yusril Ihza Mahendra, and PKB Chairman Muhaimin Iskandar during the PAN anniversary celebration.

"Also to Mr. Muhaimin who came a little late, and at that time Mr. Muhaimin did not express his objection to the naming of the Advanced Indonesia Coalition by Pak Prabowo, who referred that all coalition parties were part of the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet which both aimed at continuing Pak Jokowi's program, so the name selection was immediately announced when the remarks came from Pak Prabowo," he explained.

Dasco said that he had never responded to the statements of the PKB elite and Cak Imin, who felt they had never been informed about the name of the new coalition.

"Or then consider KKIR disbanded because there is a new coalition name, solely to maintain the solidity of the coalition," he said.

On the other hand, he continued, the Gerindra Party would never violate the written agreement between the Gerindra Party and PKB, and never betray and leave a friend in arms.

However, Dasco said that in the end the political cooperation between the Gerindra Party and PKB in the Greater Indonesia Awakening Coalition (KKIR) automatically broke up, after PKB stated that it accepted political cooperation with the NasDem Party in the 2024 presidential election.

"With the dynamics that occurred and the decisions that have been taken by PKB, it automatically causes the political cooperation between Gerindra and PKB to end or the KKIR coalition to disband by itself," he said.

He said the Gerindra Party also respected the political stance taken by the PKB.

"In principle, we respect, wish you good luck, and invite together to maintain the climate of the upcoming elections coolly and peacefully, so that the 2024 General Election will be safe and smooth," he said.