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Junior candidates try to come out from parents’ shadows
Many young politicians in their 20s who have emerged in the April elections are following the footstep of their parents
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Twenty-two-year-old Davin Kirana (right), the son of Lion Air co-founder and Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Rusdi Kirana, is running for a seat in the House of Representatives with the NasDem Party, which is chaired by media magnate Surya Paloh (left). (Tribunnews.com/-)
T
he apple indeed never falls far from the tree. This old adage rings true in politics as the footprints of some senior politicians in Indonesia are being followed by their children.
Puteri Anetta Komarudin, for instance, is now running for a seat in the House of Representatives in an attempt to continue the legacy inherited by his father, a long-time politician and former house speaker Ade Komarudin.
Both were with Golkar, a ruling party during the New Order era, which helped Komarudin senior secure a seat five successive times. The 25-year-old Purwakarta, West Java native left her three-year job in the Financial Services Authority (OJK) to pursue a career in politics.
“I feel this is a call for me to help residents in my constituency,” she said on Saturday, referring to her electoral district, which covers Purwakarta, Karawang and Bekasi regencies. She said she wants to serve in Commission XI at the parliament, which oversees financial affairs, if elected.
“Many of my constituents fall victim to loan sharks and are trapped by a cycle of poverty because of underage marriage. Many of them think that marriage is a shortcut to a better life.”
Seven months after resigning from her job to jump into politics, she has met numerous people and learned their aspirations. Such an experience, in addition to her involvement in various organizations while studying in Singapore and Australia, has convinced her that she has the ability to contribute to the country, she said.
However, public doubt still lingers, including a perception that her father was behind her accomplishments.
