JAKARTA - The executive director of Aljabar Strategic Indonesia, Arifki Chaniago, said that Indonesian politics is entering a new era known as early booking for the presidential election, where political parties that have not been verified and have participated in the election have sold presidential support.
According to him, this can be seen from the declaration of two new political parties that immediately locked in support for the presidential candidate, namely the Gema Bangsa Party which openly declared support for Prabowo Subianto, while the People's Movement Party positioned itself as a supporting party for Anies Baswedan for the 2029 Presidential Election.
"This phenomenon is not just a declaration of support, but a branding strategy. New political parties today no longer sell ideologies or programs, but sell certainty, they stand on whose side," said Arifki, Sunday, February 1.
He assessed that this phenomenon marked a shift in the function of political parties. If previously the party was an arena for kaderisasi and formulation of ideas, now some newly born parties are actually electoral instruments for certain figures. The presidential candidate is not the result of the party process, but the starting point for the birth of the party itself.
In addition, early declarations can also be read as a response to the increasingly crowded political market. With many parties and figures competing, new political parties choose a shortcut to immediately bind the emotions of voters through figures who are already known to the public.
"In this context, the 2029 presidential election is treated like a big concert whose tickets are sold far in advance. Whoever is quick to book the stage, he is the first to be seen," continued Arifki.
On the other hand, this strategy is considered to have long-term consequences. When the party's identity is too attached to one figure, the party's bargaining power can weaken if the political dynamics change. In addition, the space for policy dialogue is at risk of being displaced by a prolonged narrative of political personalization.
Arifki added that the quick declaration also extended the temperature of the national political competition. Polarization no longer appears ahead of the election, but has the potential to become a permanent background in daily political life. "The 2029 presidential election has not officially started, but the way of thinking of the political elite is already in that year. This is a sign that our political cycle is getting shorter, while the campaign period is getting longer," he said.
He emphasized that the Indonesian people must understand that the dynamics are part of the change in the rhythm of democracy. "The 2029 presidential election is not close in terms of the calendar, but politically it has started to run. Whoever is quick to prepare themselves and lock their vehicles, is the one who is more ready to enter the arena," he said.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
