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Former TNI chief shortlisted to lead Ganjar campaign team, says Puan
Retired army general Andika Perkasa served as TNI commander for one term before entering retirement age, and now looks poised to enter politics as the potential head of Ganjar Pranowo's campaign team.
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Gen. Andika Perkasa (center) speaks at a press conference on Aug. 10, 2021 in his capacity as Indonesian Army chief of staff. He was installed as TNI commander in November 2021 and served until December 2022, when he stepped down on entering retirement age. (Kompas.com/Courtesy of Dispenad)
Former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Andika Perkasa has joined a list of potential figures to lead the campaign of presidential nominee Ganjar Pranowo, according to the central board chairwoman of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Puan Maharani, the PDI-P heir apparent and House of Representatives Speaker, confirmed on Thursday that the 58-year-old retired Indonesian Army general was among her potential picks to head Ganjar’s 2024 presidential campaign team.
“I was assigned [by the PDI-P chairwoman] to form a team. He is on my list,” Puan told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday, referring to Megawati Soekarnoputri, the party matron and her mother.
Andika is the son-in-law of A.M. Hendropriyono, a loyalist of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief during Megawati’s presidency more than 20 years ago.
The four-star general rose through the ranks after Jokowi came to power in 2014 and named him as the head of the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres), just two days after the new president was inaugurated in October that year.
A graduate of Harvard University, Andika was partly responsible for introducing progressive thinking in the Indonesian Military (TNI) as its commander from 2021 to 2022. These included intensive training and joint exercises with the armed forces of other nations, leading some to speculate at the time that he was looking to boost his popularity to run for president in 2024.
A few months before entering retirement age last November, the NasDem Party had tipped Andika as one of three potential presidential nominees. In October, the party made a surprise announcement that it had nominated former Jakarta governor and opposition figurehead Anies Baswedan.
