Regarding Prabowo-Erick's 'Closeness', PKB Believes That Gerindra's Vice Presidential Candidate Is Still Cak Imin

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto drove Maung 4x4 with SOE Minister Erick Thohir next to him. President Jokowi and First Lady were in the rear passenger seat. (BPMI Setpres)

JAKARTA - PKB Deputy General Chair (Waketum) Jazilul Fawaid believes Gerindra Party General Chair (Ketum) Prabowo Subianto will not betray political cooperation with PKB.

This was conveyed by Jazilul in response to the Minister of Defense (Menhan) Prabowo's 'friendly' with BUMN Minister Erick Thohir during a working visit (kunker) at PT Pindad, Malang, East Java, Monday, July 24.

"I am sure that PKB and Mr. Prabowo and Gerindra are trustworthy people who will not betray," Jazilul said at the Senayan Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Tuesday, July 25, reported by Antara.

Jazilul emphasized that PKB's relationship with Gerindra in the Greater Indonesia Awakening Coalition (KKIR) is still well-established to date. He also believes that Prabowo will partner with PKB chairman Muhaimin Iskandar alias Cak Imin in the 2024 presidential election.

"PKB is sure that Mr. Prabowo will honor the signature on the integrity pact, and is confident that he will choose Mr. Muhaimin as running mate. If not, then betrayal, that's easy," he said.

Because, he said, the agreement with the KKIR included Cak Imin to participate in determining the vice presidential candidate with the Gerindra Party in the 2024 Presidential Election.

"Mr. Prabowo and the Gerindra elite always say back and forth that in the KKIR coalition who holds the English key, the one who holds the priority card that determines the vice presidential candidate is Gus Muhaimin, while Gus Muhaimin anywhere, in any forum, all the cadres of the management always say 'Mr. Muhaimin can't give it to others, Gus Muhaimin has to run alone'," he said.

Apart from that, he continued, PKB would only form a coalition with political parties that provide support for Cak Imin to run for the 2024 presidential election.

“Anyone, any party, who is in a coalition with Gus Muhaimin with PKB, the condition is that Gus Muhaimin is on the ballot paper for the presidential election. So it is clear that Mr. Muhaimin is not going alone, Mr. Muhaimin is walking carrying the mandate and mandate of the congress, and the mandate of the clerics," he said.

For this reason, Jazilul views Prabowo's togetherness with Erick Thohir as a normal thing. "Mr. Prabowo wants to meet with anyone, we don't forbid him, let alone meet with Erick Thohir, please," he said.

Previously, the photo shows Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto driving the Maung 4x4 tactical vehicle with President Joko Widodo and First Lady Iriana Jokowi at PT Pindad. Tutut and next to Prabowo, who was holding the driver's wheel, sat BUMN Minister Erick Thohir.

Meanwhile, President Jokowi explained his reasons for inviting Defense Minister Prabowo and BUMN Minister Erick Thohir on a working visit to Malang. Jokowi reasoned that his visit to PT Pindad was related to the interests of the two ministries.

"Here we are going to Pindad, to Malang Regency, these are going to Pindad. Pindad is under the Minister of SOEs Erick Thohir and under the Minister of Defense Mr. Prabowo," Jokowi said in his statement after visiting Bululawang Market, Malang, East Java, Monday, as witnessed via video from Jakarta.

Jokowi emphasized that Prabowo Subianto and Erick Thohir's participation had nothing to do with politics or the chances of the two figures having a duet in the 2024 presidential election.

Registration for presidential and vice presidential candidates is scheduled for 19 October 2023 to 25 November 2023.

Based on Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections (UU General Election), the presidential and vice presidential candidate pairs are proposed by political parties or coalitions of political parties participating in the election that meet the requirements for obtaining seats of at least 20 percent of the total number of 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 the presidential and vice presidential candidate pairs in the 2024 presidential election must have the support of at least 115 seats in the DPR. Candidate pairs can also be carried by political parties or a combination of political parties participating in the 2019 Election with a minimum total of 34,992,703 valid votes.