Dasco Says Gerindra Never Tried To Separate Jokowi From Megawati

JAKARTA - The daily chairman of the Gerindra Party DPP, Sufmi Dasco, responded to the statement by PDIP DPP Chair Puan Maharani regarding that there were parties who wanted to separate President Joko Widodo from PDIP General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri.

According to Dasco, Gerindra never intended to separate the two, even according to him Prabowo as an assistant to the president, he helped maintain good relations with Megawati.

"I think what Mrs. Puan said was not to the Gerindra party. We never felt like we were keeping Pak Jokowi away from Mega's mother," said Sufmi Dasco, Saturday, August 27.

"In fact, Pak Prabowo as an assistant to the president also maintains relations with Mega's mother, with Ms. Puan, and with all parties," added Dasco.

Previously, Megawati and Jokowi's relationship was publicly highlighted ahead of the 2024 Simultaneous Elections. PDIP declared Ganjar on April 21. Meanwhile, President Jokowi is considered to have sent a signal of providing support to Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto as one of the presidential candidates.

It is known that currently there are four parties that have also promoted Prabowo Subianto as a presidential candidate in 2024, namely Gerindra, PKB, Golkar and PAN. Regarding a companion from Prabowo Subianto, Sufmi Dasco emphasized that the candidate for vice president (cawapres) is the business of the four party chairmen.

"We don't want to polemic about presidential and vice presidential candidates, the four parties have agreed to carry Prabowo as a presidential candidate. Meanwhile, for the vice presidential candidate, let the four party leaders formulate and of course what is formulated by them, only the party leaders know," explained Sufmi Dasco.

Previously in his speech at the Central Java PDI-P Victory Consolidation Ceremony at Jatidiri Stadium, Semarang City, last Friday, PDI-P (PDIP) DPP Chairperson Puan Maharani asked PDIP cadres to be aware of the movement of a number of political elites who are trying to divide Megawati's relationship with President Jokowi.

"Therefore, do not allow the solidity of the party to be investigated by those who only want to divide or oppose the General Chairperson of Mrs. Megawati and President Jokowi," said Puan in front of thousands of PDIP cadres.

"We must not be carried away by the flow of division, we must remain solid. We will soon enter the battlefield to get the people's votes in the election," added Puan.