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Parties tap bigwigs to lead presidential campaign teams
Political parties have started putting together teams to help their presumptive presidential candidates in shaping their electoral strategies, with retired generals, a former attorney general, a prominent Muslim scholar, and an influential businessman tapped to join.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (right), accompanied by Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (left) and then Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, inspects a rice harvest in Lajer village, Kebumen regency, Central Java, on March 9, 2023. (Presidential Secretariat's Press Bureau/Laily Rachev)
Political parties have started putting together teams to help their presumptive presidential candidates in shaping their electoral strategies, with retired generals, a former attorney general, a prominent Muslim scholar and an influential businessman among those tapped to join.
As the General Elections Commission (KPU) plans to move the registration deadline for presidential and vice-presidential candidates to mid-October from late November, political parties have not only been forced to finalize their nomination decisions but also to rush building their campaign teams, which are expected to be registered alongside the candidates.
In presumptive presidential nominee Ganjar Pranowo’s camp, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and its electoral allies have named Arsjad Rasjid, 53, chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) as the chairman of the campaign team.
Currently the president director of publicly listed diversified energy company Indika Energy, Arsjad has yet to announce whether he has accepted the role after claiming that he had not been informed about his appointment.
Arsjad joined the first working meeting between Ganjar’s campaign team and leaders of parties backing former Central Java governor Ganjar’s presidential bid on Wednesday, but left early after saying he had come “to listen and discuss what responsibilities are given to [him]”.
Arsjad is expected to work alongside two retired generals from the police and military who have been named as deputy chiefs of Ganjar’s campaign team. The two retired generals are former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Andika Perkasa, 58, and former National Police deputy chief Gatot Eddy Pramono, 58, who stepped down from their posts in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Andika is the son-in-law of AM Hendropriyono, who headed the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) during the presidency of PDI-P matriarch Megawati Soekarnoputri.
