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Ganjar calls for ban on Israel soccer team for upcoming FIFA U-20 Cup
Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo pushes for efforts to ban the Israeli soccer team from participating in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, saying he supports the Palestinian independence cause.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (right), accompanied by Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (left) and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, inspects a mass paddy harvest in Lajer village, Kebumen regency, Central Java, on March 9. (Presidential Secretariat's Press Bureau/Laily Rachev)
C
entral Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo is pushing for efforts to ban the Israeli soccer team from participating in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, saying he supports the Palestinian independence cause.
“As a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle [PDI-P], I uphold Bung Karno’s mandate to continue supporting Palestine’s independence,” Ganjar said on Thursday in Semarang, referring to the first Indonesian president Sukarno, whose daughter Megawati Soekarnoputri is chair of the party.
“We know Bung Karno’s commitment to Palestine, whether in the Asia-Africa Conference, the Non-Aligned Movement or in the Conference of the New Emerging Forces. So, we follow his mandate,” he said.
Ganjar remains the frontrunner for the 2024 presidential election, while his top potential challengers former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and Gerindra Party leader Prabowo Subianto find themselves in a tight race, according to the latest public-opinion poll issued this week.
A survey from Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) conducted from March 2-11 shows Ganjar would remain the frontrunner, garnering 35.5 percent of support among respondents, followed by Prabowo (27.2 percent) and Anies (24.8 percent), if the elections were held immediately.
Ganjar’s electability rose by at least 1.5 percent from the 33.7 percent in a survey polled in December last year, widening his lead over opposition figurehead Anies, who at the time trumped Prabowo (28.1 percent to 26.1 percent) after previously trailing behind the defense minister.
Earlier this month, Bali Governor Wayan Koster requested Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali to ban the Israeli soccer team from participating in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Bali, saying it was “out of respect” for Indonesia’s diplomatic stance on the Palestine issue.
