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Gerindra, Dems trade barbs over Anies' absence at Bogor post-election gathering

Prabowo campaign team spokesman Andre Rosiade even dubbed that the event in Bogor, West Java, which was attended by regional leaders and young public figures who mostly supported incumbent Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, was a way to campaign for the President.

News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, May 17, 2019

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Gerindra, Dems trade barbs over Anies' absence at Bogor post-election gathering Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan (right) speaks to West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil (second left) on Feb. 21, 2019 during the Indonesian Provincial Government Association (APPSI) meeting in Padang, West Sumatra. While the two owe their early political careers to the Gerindra Party, Anies backed rival candidate Prabowo Subianto and Ridwan supported President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in the 2019 elections. (Antara/Iggoy el Fitra)

T

he Gerindra Party and the Democratic Party (Dems) are again finding themselves on opposite sides of the table over Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, who has been under the spotlight for not joining his peers at Wednesday's gathering for reconciliation after the hard-fought presidential election.

Gerindra and the Dems have often been at odds throughout the election, although they are in the  coalition backing Prabowo.

In Anies' defence, Prabowo campaign spokesman Andre Rosiade even claimed that the event was akin to "campaigning for the President", as it was mostly attended by regional leaders and young public figures who supported Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

The spokesman hails from the Gerindra Party, which backed Anies in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election alongside the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Andre made the comment after outspoken Dems member Andi Arief pointed out that Anies was "noticeably absent" at the gathering, which was also attended by Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, the eldest son of Dems patron and former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Andi said that Agus had proven his mettle by joining the call for the country to maintain unity after the election, which had apparently divided the nation’s political elite, intellectuals and religious figures.

“My friend @aniesbaswedan should not have been silent and kept playing it safe,” Andi tweeted on his account while referring to the governor's Twitter handle in an apparent jab.

Gerindra's Andre subsequently took to Twitter to criticize the Dems for "insulting" the governor.

“The Democrats did not support @aniesbaswedan [in the election] but why they are so noisy because the Jakarta governor focuses on working instead of campaigning for the presidential election like what other regional leaders did in Bogor,” he tweeted.

Andre continued that it was strange that the Dems derided Anies for missing the gathering, which was attended by regional leaders who had supported Jokowi and were “eyeing the ministerial seats in Jokowi’s Cabinet”.

“Mas [mister] @aniesbaswedan doesn’t want to sign up as a minister anyway,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bogor Mayor Bima Arya said he had invited Anies to the event at the Balai Kirti Presidential Museum in Bogor, West Java, but that Anies had to attend another official engagement in Jakarta.

Relations between the leaders of Gerindra and the Dems have been strained, especially after Susilo criticized Prabowo’s open rally in Central Jakarta a week before the April 17 election.

The Dems has also maintained that the party would wait for the official announcement on the election result from the General Elections Commission (KPU) before taking any action. This is in stark contrast to Prabowo, who has claimed victory for himself multiple times since election day, despite the quick count results and ongoing KPU vote tally showing Jokowi in the lead.

Furthermore, Jokowi recently met with Agus at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, prompting speculations that the Dems might be joining the ruling coalition.

Regional leaders who attended the Bogor gathering include West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, West Nusa Tenggara Governor Zulkieflimansyah, and East Java Deputy Governor Emil Dardak. Yenny Wahid, the daughter of former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, also attended the event.

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