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PDI-P looks to unlikely ally to combat alleged intimidation
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An officer from the General Elections Commission (KPU) introduces five different ballots at the KPU building in Central Jakarta in 2018. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is reportedly seeking to work with the camp of opposition figurehead Anies Baswedan to combat what the party claims is “pressure” against its own presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo.
PDI-P secretary general Hasto Kristiyanto said in a statement on Saturday that campaigners for the party’s presidential and vice presidential pair, Ganjar and Mahfud MD, had begun to feel “pressure” from intimidation tactics.
While he did not mention how exactly members of the campaign team or figures associated with Ganjar had been pressured, he cited himself and fellow PDI-P politician Adian Napitupulu as people who allegedly had been subject to intimidation tactics. Other names were Yunarto Wijaya of pollster Charta Politika and social media influencer and Ganjar campaigner Ulin Ni'am Yusron.
“The pressure is there, and we know it’s related [to the 2024 general election]. Since we know that even the Constitutional Court can be intervened in, despite it being a judicial institution, other [state institutions] could be too,” Hasto said.
He was referring to a scandal at the Constitutional Court, in which its chief justice Anwar Usman was found guilty of an ethics breach for using his position to clear a path for his nephew-in-law Gibran Rakabuming Raka to run for vice president. Gibran is the eldest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and is now the running mate of Gerindra Party presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, a rival to the PDI-P.
Hasto said the PDI-P had been speaking with the campaign team of Anies, who Hasto claimed had been experiencing similar pressure and intimidation tactics.
“This is so that we can correct democracy to be [on the right track]. Democracy rests with the people who make the decisions, not the elite, and this is the narrative we must build for the future," Hasto added.
