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Sandiaga respects childhood friend Erick for backing rival candidate
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Then-deputy governor Sandiaga Uno after the launch of the Torch Festival before the 2018 Asian Games in Setu Babakan, South Jakarta. (The Jakarta Post/Ana Cecilia Regalado)
V
ice presidential candidate Sandiaga Uno said he was happy to hear that childhood friend Erick Thohir had been tapped to lead the campaign of his opponents in the 2019 presidential race.
“Erick and I have been best friends since we were kids, so I was happy to hear [President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s] decision, even though he joined the opponent’s team,” he said on Saturday as quoted by Antara.
The former Jakarta deputy governor also said he respected his friend for having a different political view in the upcoming 2019 presidential election.
Jokowi announced on Friday that Erick would lead his reelection campaign in the upcoming election—where he will be facing his old opponent Prabowo Subianto--following his success in organizing the 2018 Asian Games.
Meanwhile, Prabowo and Sandiaga have appointed former Indonesian Military commander and Gerinda Party member Djoko Santoso to lead their campaign.
Erick is the owner of Mahaka Group, which owns Indonesia’s biggest Islamic newspaper Republika. He also owns several sports teams, such as the American soccer team DC United and Italian soccer team Inter Milan.
Erick and Sandiaga are linked through automotive group Astra International founder William Soeryadjaya, who knew both of their parents, Erick’s father Teddy Thohir and Sandiaga’s mother Mien S. Uno, personally. (ris/ahw)
