Responding To Cak Imin's Proposal To Postpone Elections Because Of Ma'ruf Amin, PKS: It's Obviously Made Up

Ketum PKB Muhaimin Iskandar/DOK Via ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) responded to the statement of PKB General Chair Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar or Cak Imin, who admitted that the proposal related to postponing the election for helping Vice President Ma'ruf Amin to be given the opportunity to work with additional time.

The Head of the Political Department of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) DPP Nabil Ahmad Fauzi, assessed that Cak Imin's reasoning was far-fetched. He hoped that the statement by the Deputy Speaker of the DPR for People's Welfare (Kesra) was just a joke.

"This is clearly fabricated and irrelevant. This statement is increasingly difficult for the public to understand," Nabil told reporters, Tuesday, April 19.

"Hopefully it's part of Cak Imin's joke," he continued

Nabil also asked Cak Imin to end any proposals or discourses related to postponing the election. Moreover, he said, President Joko Widodo had emphasized that the general election would still be held as scheduled, namely on February 14, 2024.

"Since President Jokowi stated the government's stance to carry out the elections according to the schedule on February 14, 2024, the discourse on postponing the election is no longer relevant to be discussed," said Nabil.

Previously, Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar or Cak Imin responded to President Joko Widodo's affirmation that he refused to postpone the 2024 election.

Cak Imin emphasized that he was not insistent on postponing the election, but was merely proposing it.

Cak Imin made this statement in his speech at the 62nd Harlah PMII peak event with the theme 'Transformation of the Movement, Caring for Civilization' which took place on Monday night, April 18.

"I'm not insistent, I'm just stating this is a suggestion. Moreover, the President has clearly stated his attitude (refuses to postpone the election, ed). It's also called a business," said Cak Imin as quoted on the PMIIOFFICIAL YouTube account which was viewed Tuesday, April 19.

According to him, the proposal is reasonable in a democratic country. He said it was up to each party to accept or reject it.

"It's called a proposal, is it okay to make a proposal? Is it true that a democratic country can't make proposals?," he said with a laugh.

The PB PMII National Board of Trustees revealed that the proposed postponement of the election was solely to help Vice President Ma'ruf Amin. The reason, said Cak Imin, was that for two years Indonesia had been hit by a pandemic, the government could not do anything about it.

"My suggestion is to help Kiai Ma'ruf Amin, in order to help the people," he said.

"Why help Kiai Ma'ruf? Because so that later in the afterlife you are asked this is not enough, that is not enough, the reason is because 2 years of a pandemic can't do anything," continued Cak Imin.

For the past two years, Cak Imin assessed, the government has only focused on the pandemic, making it difficult to organize events. As a result, the state budget has been used up for handling the pandemic.

"The budget in the DPR has run out to take care of the pandemic, the IKN (National Capital City) has not been worked out at all because of our 2 years (pandemic)," said the Deputy Speaker of the DPR for People's Welfare (Kesra).

However, Cak Imin did not deny the many rejections in the proposed postponement of the election. According to him, this is normal in a democracy, so it doesn't need to be exaggerated, let alone a demonstration.

"It's natural that if the name is rejected, it's also a proposal. Democracy is free of proposals, free to refuse. And proposals are accepted and rejected, there's no need for a demonstration, the name is also a proposal, why use a demo of proposals, anyway? What's more, the demo uses thumps like that," concluded Cak Imin. .