PDIP Asks PPP to Withdraw If They Insist to Make Sandiaga Ganjar's Vice Presidential Candidate

JAKARTA - PDIP Party Central Executive Board (DPP) chairman, Ahmad Basarah said that his party does not have a problem with PPP leaving the coalition if it insists on pushing Sandiaga Uno to become a vice presidential candidate (cawapres) to accompany Ganjar Pranowo in the 2024 presidential election. According to Basarah, the coalition built by PDIP is based on volunteerism, not on coercion.

"Please (please withdraw), again, for the PDI-P, political cooperation basically has to be voluntary. It has to be voluntary, there shouldn't be coercion, let alone threats, and so on," said Basarah, Monday, August 14.

Basarah hopes that the party supporting Ganjar Pranowo will be patient about the name of the cawapres. According to him, all names for vice presidential candidates that have appeared in public or those that have not appeared, have the same opportunity, including the name Sandiaga Uno.

Apart from Sandiaga Uno, other names listed as running mate for Ganjar are Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD, Gus Dur's daughter, Yenny Wahid, former TNI Commander General (Purn) Andika Perkasa, and SOE Minister, Erick Thohir.

"I think the probability of them becoming Pak Ganjar's vice presidential candidate is quite high. We will wait until the deadline for registration for the vice presidential candidate has been set by the KPU. We will see how the grouping of political parties forms and the formation of the cawapres candidate," he said.

According to Basarah, the name of Ganjar's vice presidential candidate depends on the socio-political dynamics that will continue to develop. Including, he said, depending on the decision of the Chairperson of the PDIP Megawati Soekarnoputri together with other figures involved in the decision-making process.

"I think it has become a political tradition for Megawati since the 2014 and 2019 elections yesterday, when deciding who was Pak Jokowi's vice presidential candidate, all parties supporting Pak Jokowi at that time were consulted. That is the principle of deliberation for consensus," said Basarah.