Coup for Prabowo as Golkar Joins Coalition
Prabowo Subianto of Gerindra has snagged the support of the Golkar Party for his presidential bid. (Reuters Photo/Beawiharta)
Jakarta. The Golkar Party has finally decided to throw its support behind Prabowo Subianto, the presidential candidate from the Great Indonesia Movement Party, or Gerindra, surprising many who had considered it more likely that Golkar would support Joko Widodo from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P.
"Golkar's central executive board has given its full support to Prabowo's candidacy," Idrus Marham, Golkar's secretary general, said in Jakarta on Monday. "Everything was done based on the result of the national leaders' meeting yesterday."
Speaking at Rumah Polonia in East Jakarta, the house of former president Sukarno, Prabowo said his candidacy had received the support of the National Mandate Party, or PAN; the Prosperous Justice Party, or PKS; the United Development Party, or PPP; and Golkar.
"Indonesia's major political parties such as PAN, PKS, PPP and Golkar have decided to give their support to us," Prabowo said in a televised speech. "As a former soldier I feel like the past few months have been more exhausting — Indonesian politics is exhausting."
"Today is a historic day for all of us because the leaders who will initiate the change in the nation have been officially declared," Gerindra chairman Suhardi said.
"We ask for the blessings of all Indonesians for the candidacy of Prabowo and Hatta," he added, referring to Hatta Rajasa, the PAN chairman who will share Prabowo's ticket in the July 9 presidential election.
Suhardi said Prabowo and Hatta, with their respective military and business backgrounds, would make a compelling case to the Indonesian people.
"Both are nationalist figures who are brave, clean, honest, religious and have integrity as leaders," Suhardi said.
PPP chairman Suryadharma Ali, the minister for religious affairs, said the pair could count on his party's support.
"As a great nation Indonesia needs a leader with ideas and abilities to execute them and that can been seen in Prabowo and Hatta," he said.
Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie did not attend Monday's declaration, for reasons that were not immediately clear on Monday afternoon. Aburizal had appeared last week alongside the PDI-P's Joko and pledged to offer cooperation to Joko's presidential bid. He stopped short, however, of a firm coalition confirmation, in an example of the capriciousness of election politics in Indonesia. The issue was further complicated over the weekend when Industry Minister M.S. Hidayat, of Golkar, said Golkar and the Democratic Party would partner up.
"There were talks, but there was no agreement between the PDI-P and Golkar," Golkar central executive board chairman Firman Soebagyo said, as quoted by Antara. "Today there was a decision that Golkar will run with Gerindra. Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie has communicated with Prabowo Subianto, it was decided last night."
The announcement by Prabowo that he had secured the support of Golkar is a boon to his campaign but it remains to be seen whether the support of Golkar's formidable election machine will translate into a boost in the polls. Golkar, the political party borne out of the Suharto regime, has nationwide clout and a strong network that enables it to perform well in legislative elections. Whether the support of Golkar helps Prabowo's presidential polling remains to be seen in what is much more of a personality contest rather than the legislative ballot, which is fought more along party lines.
Posted by: "Sunny" <ambon@tele2.se>
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