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What's behind the Jokowi-Prabowo 'alliance'?
The two erstwhile rivals have done a 180, forming a one-on-one alliance to serve each other's purpose heading into 2024.
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Gerindra Party chairman (left) and President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who hails from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), shake hands on July 13, 2019 at Lebak Bulus MRT station in South Jakarta, their first meeting since the hotly contested election that year. (JP/Seto Wardhana) (JP/Seto Wardhana)
A
t a recent event, President Joko “Jokowi’ Widodo assigned Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto a new task: to coordinate the country’s intelligence agencies. Many have viewed the move as a clear sign of Jokowi giving his blessing as well as broad access to the country’s classified information to the Gerinda Party chairman, who was a sworn political rival only three years ago.
What does the President expect in exchange for this “generous” gesture?
We can read this as an indication that the two senior politicians are forming a new alliance to contest the 2024 general election. While Jokowi wants to use the remainder of his presidency to build his political dynasty by grooming his two sons and son-in-law for higher government positions, we can also be sure that he is preparing his post-presidency plan.
Prabowo has played down the “windfall” from the President, but his new role as intelligence coordinator means he will have direct access to the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), which is directly answerable to the country’s president, as well as others.
“BIN will not be under the authority of the Defense Ministry. The order from the President was that we will be a kind of coordinator, just to help him judge the merit of the information [gathered],” Prabowo said, as quoted by Antara News.
Prabowo can certainly use his new position to distinguish himself from potential rivals, such as former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, as well as woo Jokowi’s die-hard supporters. This will present a clear advantage, especially if Central Governor Ganjar Pranowo does not gain the backing of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), of which Jokowi is a member, as the President’s grassroots supporters will likely turn to Prabowo in such a scenario.
Prabowo returned the favor quickly enough. Contrary to the usual norm, in which the young pay a visit to their elders, last week he visited Jokowi's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the mayor of the Central Java city of Surakarta, the Widodo family’s hometown. During the visit, Prabowo openly expressed his support for Gibran, if the mayor decided to run as a gubernatorial candidate for either Jakarta or Central Java in the November 2024 regional election.
