Ahmad Basarah Alludes To PDIP-NU's Closeness In The Presidential Election When Discussing Ganjar Pranowo's Companion

PDI-P DPP chairman Ahmad Basarah when delivering a statement to reporters in Jakarta, Friday (12/5/2023). (ANTARA)

Chairman of the PDI-P DPP Ahmad Basarah alluded to the closeness of his party to Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in several previous presidential elections (pilpres), especially when discussing the prospective vice presidential candidate (cawapres) who will accompany Ganjar Pranowo. "We have to admit that in the long journey of political cooperation, nationalist forces such as the PDI-P have been carried out together with NU cadres," Ahmad Basarah told reporters in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Friday, May 12. He gave an example when Megawati Soekarnoputri was vice president accompanying the 4th President of the Republic of Indonesia Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) who was an NU figure. Then, Basarah also gave an example when Megawati became the 5th President of the Republic of Indonesia accompanied by NU figures as vice president, namely Hamzah Haz. "When Mrs. Mega became president, the vice president was Mr. Hamzah Haz, also from NU," he added. Furthermore, said Basarah, during the 2014 presidential election, the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo advanced with Jusuf Kalla, who was then a NU cadre. "Even now, Pak Jokowi and Kiai Ma'ruf Amin, as well as NU figures. So, indeed NU is a source of 'Candradimuka area' (where self-embedding) for the nation's leaders," he explained. Nevertheless, he emphasized that Megawati Soekarnoputri respects the existence of NU as a community organization. Therefore, the PDI-P will not bring NU into practical politics. "I think this is in accordance with the views and attitudes of the General Chairperson of PBNU Gus Yahya (Yahya Cholil Staquf) who will also bring NU as a force that protects the nation," he said. He also said that communication between the PDI-P and NU continues to be established, especially regarding the determination of the candidate for vice president who will accompany Ganjar Pranowo. "In terms of communication, friendship, it continues to exist; because friendship is part of the nation's strength," said Ahmad Basarah. To note, registration for presidential and vice-presidential candidates is scheduled for October 19 to November 25, 2023. Based on Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections (UU Pemilu), pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates are proposed by political parties or coalitions of political parties participating in the election who meet the requirements for obtaining seats of at least 20 percent of the total seats in the DPR or obtaining 25 percent of valid votes nationally in the previous election for members of the DPR.

Currently, there are 575 seats in parliament, so that the pairs of presidential and vice-presidential candidates in the 2024 presidential election must have at least 115 seats in the DPR RI. It is also possible that the candidate pairs can be promoted by political parties or a combination of political parties participating in the 2019 Election with a total valid vote acquisition of at least 34,992,703 votes.