The National Awakening Party (PKB) and the National Democratic (NasDem) Party have officially joined the Onward Indonesia Coalition in supporting candidate pair of Ridwan Kamil and Suswono in the November 27, 2024 Jakarta gubernatorial election, signifying their departure from supporting former governor Anies Baswedan, who seeks reelection.
The coalition, now comprising 12 political parties, officially declared their support during an event held at The Sultan Hotel in Jakarta on Monday, August 19, 2024.
The coalition includes major parties such as Gerindra, Golkar, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Garuda Party, the Democratic Party, the Gelora Party, the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), the United Development Party (PPP), and Perindo, alongside PKB and NasDem. Collectively, these parties hold 91 seats in the Jakarta Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD).
Ridwan Kamil, also known as RK, expressed his deep gratitude for the overwhelming support, highlighting the unity and collaboration among the coalition members.
“I recall accompanying pak Surya [Paloh] to Kartanegara (the residence of Prabowo Subianto), where the President-elect emphasized the importance of elite unity. Our future theme is synergy in nation-building,” Hermawi Taslim, NasDem’s Secretary-General, said while addressing the party’s declaration ceremony in support of Ridwan Kamil and Suswono.
Hermawi also reflected on NasDem’s previous support for Ridwan Kamil during the 2018 West Java gubernatorial election, which he won, urging the RK-Suswono pair to uphold the values of Indonesian unity. He further pledged NasDem’s full commitment to securing victory for the pair in Jakarta.
Meanwhile, PKB Chairman Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar, also known as Cak Imin, revealed that PKB had long ceased communication with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) regarding the Jakarta gubernatorial election. He affirmed that PKB’s support for Ridwan Kamil was resolute, dispelling rumors of a possible PKB-PDI-P coalition to back Anies Baswedan and Rano Karno.
“This is a case-by-case communication, and as for Jakarta, when was the last time? It’s been a long time,” Muhaimin, who is also Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), said.
With this large coalition backing Ridwan Kamil and Suswono, PDI-P’s chances of nominating a candidate for the Jakarta gubernatorial race have significantly diminished. PDI-P holds only 15 seats in the Jakarta DPRD, although it can solely nominate a candidate pair for the Jakarta gubernatorial election in regards with the August 20, 2024 ruling of the Constitutional Court.
Anies Baswedan’s fate
Anies Baswedan’s spokesperson, Angga Putra Fidrian, responded positively to the latest Constitutional Court ruling, which lowers the threshold for political parties and coalitions to nominate candidates in regional elections.
“Praise be to God, with the Constitutional Court’s new ruling, Jakarta residents can now have a gubernatorial candidate that aligns with their aspirations,” Angga said in response to the court’s decision.
The petition challenging the candidacy requirements was filed by the Labor Party and the Gelora Party, arguing that the previous 25 percent vote threshold is unconstitutional as it restricts smaller parties’ ability to nominate candidates.
The Constitutional Court ruled in favor of the petitioners, stating that the 25 percent threshold unduly limited democratic participation.
“In shaa Allah (God willing), Anies Baswedan can run in the Jakarta gubernatorial election under the new rules set by the Constitutional Court,” Angga added, though he declined to comment on which party might support Anies’s candidacy.
PDI-P’s next move
Previously, Anies Baswedan had the support of PKS, PKB, and NasDem, but these parties have since shifted their backing to Ridwan Kamil and Suswono. PDI-P remains the only major party yet to announce its stance, although Anies has been tipped as PDI-P’s candidate for the post.
PDI-P spokesperson Chico Hakim acknowledged that the Constitutional Court’s ruling opens new possibilities for democratic participation. However, he stated that the party has not yet made any decisions regarding its support for Anies.
“We are waiting for the party’s executive board’s decision, especially on various regional elections across Indonesia, not just Jakarta,” Chico said.
He also hinted that the Constitutional Court’s ruling could allow PDI-P to nominate an internal candidate for the Jakarta election without the need for a coalition.
“We are closely monitoring who within our ranks would be the best fit to run in the Jakarta gubernatorial election and other regional elections,” Chico said.
According to data from the General Elections Commission (KPU), there are 8,252,897 eligible voters for the Jakarta election. Under the new Constitutional Court guidelines, a party needs at least 7.5percent of the vote, or about 618,967 votes, to nominate a candidate. PDI-P, having secured 851,174 votes in the Jakarta election, is eligible to field a candidate independently.
