PSI Values Jokowi's Participation In The 2024 Election Is Not A Sin, Lazim In The Political World

Secretary General of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) DPP Raja Juli Antoni when giving a press statement regarding the political safari of PSI Chairman Kaesang Pangarep in Banda Aceh, Aceh, Friday (5/1/2024). (ANTARA/Syaiful Hakim)

JAKARTA - Secretary General of the DPP Indonesian Solidarity Party Raja Juli Antoni agrees with President Joko Widodo that heads of state and ministers may campaign as long as they do not use state facilities. According to Raja Juli, the president and minister are citizens who have the political right to support candidates for the presidential election and political parties so that the president's side is not a sin. "Pak Jokowi is right. The president and minister as public figures are citizens who have the political right to support the presidential and political candidates they like. The fence is not using public facilities for campaigns. The president's side with the presidential and political candidates is not a sin," he said in a statement quoted in Jakarta, Wednesday, January 24. For example, in the 2004 election, Megawati Soekarnoputri, who at that time was still the President of the Republic of Indonesia, ran as a presidential candidate and traveled around Indonesia campaigning for herself as well as the PDI-P. "There is no problem. Mrs. Megawati as a political figure at that time was able to distinguish well when she served as president, presidential candidate, and party general chairman. Mrs. Mega at that time, apparently, managed not to use state facilities and money for campaigns," he said. It's the same with other countries. For example, former US President Barack Obama, who at that time supported and campaigned to win Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate from the Democratic Party. "Once again, this is a practice that is common in the world of politics that does not need to be questioned and regretted," said Raja. Ideally, President Jokowi followed up on the statement by expressing open support. "I think Pak Jokowi's statement ideally he followed up by providing open support to the candidate pair (president and vice president) number 2 and political party number 15, PSI, Jokowi party. No problem, no guilt in providing political support," he said. President Joko Widodo said the president and minister had democratic and political rights that allowed them to participate in the election campaign as long as they did not use state facilities. Jokowi said this was in response to a number of ministers of the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet who entered as a successful team to support the presidential and vice presidential candidate pairs participating in the 2024 presidential election.

"The rights of democracy, political rights, everyone. Every minister is the same, the most important thing is that the president can campaign, you can take sides. Yes," said Jokowi at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, Jakarta, Wednesday.