Semarang - UIN Walisongo Semarang political observer, Kholidul Adib, assessed that the purpose of President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi) political safari was not only to consolidate the PSI, but also an effort to care for his mass support base as a step to anticipate potential rivalries with President Prabowo Subianto in the 2029 presidential election.
"It can be said that Jokowi's political safari and blusukan to various regions are strategic steps to boost his electability and secure the political bargaining position of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. This is seen as a political capital to anticipate the coalition dynamics leading up to the 2029 presidential election if it is no longer paired with Prabowo Subianto," he explained, Sunday, June 28.
Moreover, with Prabowo's contrasting statement issued in line with Jokowi's blusukan momentum which started from Lampung. According to Kholidul, Prabowo's statement can be read as a signal that the president is starting to feel uncomfortable with Jokowi's movement to rebuild the political power base, even though the election is still three years away.
"Regarding President Prabowo's statement that he never interfered with the president in power when he was not in power, the comment shows that President Prabowo is starting to feel uncomfortable with Jokowi's movement which has started to build power to the mass base, even though the election is still far away," he continued.
He revealed that through the statement, Prabowo wanted to send a signal to the public regarding his discomfort with the maneuvers of political elites outside the government. Moreover, at this time Prabowo's cabinet is focused on improving the national economic condition.
"President Prabowo's words can also be interpreted as a subtle sarcasm that the former leader gives full space to the government he leads to work without noisy interventions," said Kholidul.
Furthermore, he said, if viewed from the perspective of power struggle, the momentum of Prabowo's statement which coincided with Jokowi's blusukan seemed to confirm the existence of conflicting interests which began to lead to electoral competition for the 2029 presidential election.
"In the current context, the public is beginning to see friction between Prabowo and Jokowi as a result of the clash between Prabowo's constitutional authority as president and Jokowi's political wagon's attempt to maintain his proxy or influence in power," he said.
As is known, the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi) started his political safari in Lampung on Friday, June 26, as the starting point of his regional tour agenda with PSI. During his stay in Lampung, Jokowi is scheduled to visit five areas, namely Mesuji Regency, Tulang Bawang Regency, Bandar Lampung City, Pesawaran Regency, and East Lampung Regency. In addition to attending a number of cultural activities in each area that he stopped by, Jokowi will also meet with community leaders, customary leaders, and volunteers.
In a separate place, President Prabowo Subianto actually made a provocative statement by confirming that he had never interfered with democratically elected leaders, even though he had experienced four defeats in the presidential election. For Prabowo, respecting the results of democracy is an important commitment to maintain the stability of the country.
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