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Gerindra set to join Jokowi coalition amid simmering internal tensions
Both Prabowo and Surya denied they had discussed the possibility of Gerindra joining the coalition but said they had found “common ground.” “We have known each other and been friends for a long time,” Prabowo told reporters after the meeting. “Sometimes we are different, sometimes we oppose [each other], but we are both united in our love of the country.”
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Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto (left) holds hands with NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh on Oct. 13. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
H
aving led the opposition camp for the past five years, Prabowo Subianto’s Gerindra Party seems all but set to join President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s government coalition even as tensions within the camp emerge ahead of Jokowi's inauguration on Sunday.
Prabowo has been on a marathon of meetings in the past few days in what experts say are efforts to seek the blessings of pro-government parties. He met with Jokowi on Friday, Nasdem Party chairman Surya Paloh on Sunday and National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Muhaimin Iskandar on Monday. He is also scheduled to meet with Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto.
While on the surface the ruling coalition seems stronger than ever, an undercurrent of tension remains within the ranks.
Jokowi appears to be at odds with his own Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) regarding issues such as the recently revised Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law and the plans for a constitutional amendment.
