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Jokowi bags farmer association's support
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Farmers in Pati, Central Java, prepare rice seedlings for transplantation in a nursery plot. (Antara/Yusuf Nugroho)
I
ndonesian Farmer Association (HKTI) chairman Moeldoko, also the presidential chief of staff, has declared that the HKTI, touted as the largest in the country, would support President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in his re-election bid this year.
"With our political rights, we therefore declare our full support for President Jokowi to continue improving the welfare of Indonesian farmers," Moeldoko said at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, when Jokowi welcomed hundreds of HKTI representatives to open the association's national coordination meeting (Rakornas).
Moeldoko cited the incumbent's agrarian reforms as the grounds for the HKTI's support, claiming that land redistribution, village funds and infrastructure development, among other programs, had helped improve farmers' welfare and enhance food security in the country.
This was not the first time the HKTI, considered to be one of the most sought-after strategic posts by elite politicians, backed the incumbent.
Previously, Moeldoko's predecessor Oesman Sapta Odang, also Hanura Party chief, publicly declared the association's support for Jokowi in the 2014 presidential election. The Hanura Party is part of Jokowi’s coalition.
Past chairmen of the association include Jokowi's contender Prabowo Subianto, who had been one of two men, the other being Oesman, claiming to be the legitimate head of the association since 2010, dividing the organization into two camps.
However, Moeldoko confirmed that his camp was the legal one.
