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Don't let regional elections damage our unity: MPR speaker
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People's Consultative Assembly speaker Zulkifli Hasan (second right), flanked by the chairman of Uni Timor Aswa'in organization, Eurico Guterres (second left), poses with performers after delivering a speech about the Four Pillars (of Democracy) to former residents of Timor Leste in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Jan. 31. (Antara/Kornelis Kaha)
T
he speaker of People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), Zulkifli Hasan, reminded Indonesian people to maintain unity amid divisive regional elections, especially the Jakarta election, which has brought about heated political rivalry not only among the candidates but also among the elite.
“Regional elections should not damage unity in diversity. The regional leader contests should be about improvement programs, visions and missions and not about compromising unity,” he said in Manokwari, West Papua province, on Tuesday as quoted by Antara. He was on a working tour to eastern Indonesia to talk about the Four Pillars of Democracy.
Hasan said MPR had recorded several regional elections that had shown indications of “disintegration”.
“I’m concerned with regional elections that threaten our diversity because diversity is non-negotiable for Indonesians,” he said.
Hasan is a politician with the National Mandate Party (PAN) and former member of the Forestry Minister during Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s administration, the chief patron of the Democratic Party. Both PAN and the Democratic Party are backing Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, Yudhoyono’s son, who has been in a fierce competition with incumbent Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and former education minister Anies Baswedan. (evi)
