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Politicians embark on 2024 ‘political safari’ during Lebaran break
A host of potential contenders for the 2024 presidential elections used the silaturahmi (communal bonds) tradition of visiting friends and family during Lebaran to secure their chances ahead of the election rush.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (second right) and First Lady Iriana (right) receive Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (second left) and his son Didit Hediprasetyo on Idul Fitri at the Presidential Palace in Yogyakarta on May 2. (Courtesy of /Press Bureau of Presidential Secretariat )
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number of aspiring candidates for the 2024 presidential elections took advantage of the Idul Fitri holiday to “test the waters” ahead of the election rush later this year, with analysts saying they made use of the silaturahmi (communal bonds) tradition of visiting friends and family during Lebaran to explore political alliances and size up the competition.
These so-called “political safaris” were unleashed as millions of Indonesians traveled back to their hometowns over the Islamic holiday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020. The government had in previous years restricted the annual mudik (exodus) phenomenon for fear of uncontrollable viral transmission.
Some of the most popular potential candidates for the presidency based on recent opinion polls made trips to regions that political observers consider to be important for their showing in the upcoming elections, while others further down the pecking order started to make their own political moves.
Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto paid a courtesy visit to former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, the matriarch of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), at her home in Central Jakarta on the first day of Idul Fitri on May 2, just after returning from Yogyakarta Palace to visit President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
The defense minister was accompanied by close aides and relatives from both families, including Gerindra top executive Ahmad Muzani and House of Representatives speaker Puan Maharani.
Speaking to the press after the high-profile meeting, Muzani said: “The relationship between the PDI-P and Gerindra is actually an established one; a bond that is fairly close. The two figures [Prabowo and Megawati] have a good personal and familial relationship, so today’s meeting on Idul Fitri seeks to build on an already strong bond.”
Read also: Three-horse race takes shape for 2024 presidential election
