Mahfud's Campaign Leave Has Not Been Allowed By Jokowi, Ganjar: I Called Pak Pratikno

Candidate for president Ganjar and his deputy Mahfud MD at the KPU Office (Diah Ayu/VOI)

JAKARTA - Candidate for vice president Mahfud MD has applied for leave from the position of Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam) to campaign for President Joko Widodo. On the first day of the campaign period, Mahfud plans to visit Sabang, Aceh. Meanwhile, Ganjar will visit Papua. However, it turns out that Jokowi has not allowed the leave permit. This was revealed by presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo after attending the 2024 Election Peace Campaign Declaration at the Indonesian KPU office, Central Jakarta. "Tomorrow I will go to Merauke. We hope that Mr. Mahfud can go to Aceh tomorrow. The permit is still being taken care of because the President has not allowed it," said Ganjar, Monday, November 27. On that basis, Ganjar tried to help contact the Minister of State Secretary Pratikno to facilitate the licensing of Mahfud leave to run the 2024 presidential election campaign. Bearing in mind, Jokowi has issued a new regulation, namely Government Number 53 of 2023 which regulates the ministerial or regional head leave process during the election campaign. In this regulation, ministers or ministerial-level officials promoted by political parties as presidential and vice-presidential candidates must obtain a permit from the president if they want leave to carry out the campaign. "So, I called Pak Pratik earlier, I hope Mr. Mahfud and I can be allowed to go to Aceh tomorrow because there is a new PP that was released on Thursday," said Ganjar. Separately, Mahfud MD explained the intention of himself and presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo to start campaign activities for the 2024 presidential election from the end of Indonesia. "(Showing) that Indonesia must unite, not less territory," said Mahfud while attending the 2024 Election Peace Campaign Declaration event at the office of the Indonesian General Elections Commission (KPU).

It is planned that the regional routes that become the campaign points for Ganjar and Mahfud will start from the areas on the far left and right, then will gather in the central regions of Indonesia. "West and east, Mr. Ganjar is at the easternmost and I am at the westernmost in Indonesia. We will use virtual later," explained Mahfud.