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Jokowi, Ganjar ‘inseparable’, PDI-P says as Gibran aids in unofficial campaign
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had handpicked members of a campaign team for Ganjar Pranowo, reiterating its claim that the President was fully behind its presidential candidate.
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Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo (second right), the presidential candidate of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), shakes hands with members of the public during a visit on June 25, 2023, to a low-income residential area in Pademangan, North Jakarta. (Antara/Aditya Pradana Putra)
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had handpicked members of a campaign team for Ganjar Pranowo, reiterating its claim that the President was fully behind its presidential candidate.
Ahead of the presidential election in February next year, speculations have been rife that Jokowi has not been willing to commit solely to Ganjar, with some political analysts believing the President might prefer his long-time rival-turned-ally, Gerindra Party chairman and its presumptive presidential nominee Prabowo Subianto, to be his successor instead.
Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, has also been subject to similar speculations after the Surakarta mayor met with Prabowo in May, which prompted the PDI-P central board to summon Gibran to the party’s headquarters in Jakarta for clarification of the controversy but chose to let him off without any sanctions.
But just as the PDI-P looks to kickstart its official presidential campaign for Ganjar in November, the party recently said in a press release that Jokowi and Ganjar remained “inseparable”. It pointed to the fact that Jokowi has handpicked members for a campaign team for Ganjar, called “team seven”, as evidence of the President’s support for his fellow party politician, while Gibran has begun his task to accompany Ganjar during his unofficial campaign starting over the weekend.
While it remains unclear who the members of the team are, PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto said last week that it consisted of Jokowi’s own communication team, who he claimed had been assigned to closely follow Ganjar over the past month.
“The President previously said there must be a grand strategy [for Ganjar’s presidential campaign], both in terms of communicating [with the public] and in building Ganjar’s own vision [as President],” Hasto said during a training session held by the PDI-P for Ganjar’s campaigners on July 17.
“[Jokowi’s] communication team is known to be very reliable and skilled in understanding Jokowi’s type of leadership. [And the team] has now spent one whole month understanding the leadership of Ganjar,” he added.
