In response to the insistence of the Gerindra Party cadres, incumbent defense minister Prabowo Subianto has decided to run again as a candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election.
At the Gerindra party’s National Leaders Meeting on August 12, 2022, Subianto reiterated that point. “In saying Bismillah (in the name of Allah), following learning and listening carefully to the positions of the leadership of the political party at the regional level and every wing of the party, who hope that I will accept my candidacy for the presidency of Indonesia in 2024, I state with full responsibility that I accept your nomination as Indonesia’s presidential candidate,” he said in his speech in Sentul, West Java.
Previously, the party national leaders listened to the aspirations of its officials, cadres and organizational wings. Party cadres believe the 70-year-old Subianto should run for president again in 2024.
“A total of 34 Gerindra party leaders at the regional level throughout Indonesia have decided to nominate Mr. Prabowo as the Presidential candidate from the Gerindra party in 2024,” said Sufmi Dasco Ahmad during the party meeting.
All Gerindra party cadres from all over Indonesia attended the meeting. Additionally, some national figures participated in the event, including former House of Representatives (DPR) speaker Marzuki Alie.
A political alliance with PKB
Subianto and Muhaimin Iskandar, chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB), signed a political cooperation charter on August 13, 2022, at the Sentul International Convention Center, in Bogor, West Java, ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Cadres of both parties and supporters attended the charter signing at the venue. Following the signing, the Gerindra Party announced Ahmad as the day-to-day chief executor and Jazilul Fawaid of the PKB as his deputy.
In his speech, Subianto called on both party cadres to inspire the Indonesian people by forming a coalition based on harmony, deep soul and joy. He also encouraged them to be willing to create an atmosphere of peace, harmony, respect and love.
“We establish a political cooperation. We want to embrace all parties. We want to give certainty and peace to the people of Indonesia,” he said.
According to Subianto, stability and peace are essential for a country’s prosperity.
“Peace, however, cannot be taken for granted. The key to prosperity and economic stability is stability and peace. We must work hard to achieve peace. We must fight and sacrifice for peace with a heroic spirit. Do not be proud or selfish. The National Awakening Party members appear to share the same perspective as I,” he said.
In his remarks, Subianto noted that the Gerindra party and the PKB offered other parties the opportunity to join the coalition because he believed all parties in Indonesia are children of the nation who love the homeland. “We want to bring together the most outstanding women and men of Indonesia no matter what their tribes, races, ethnicities, or religions are, so long as they love the nation and the unitary state,” he stated.
Iskandar said the Gerindra Party was a powerful political force capable of solving the nation’s problems. “This harmony reflects a willingness to inherit the spirit of the founding fathers,” he said.
Chance for Subianto
Political expert Emrus Sihombing of the Pelita Harapan University (UPH) said Subianto’s fourth candicacy in 2024 was a positive factor that would help him succeed. Subianto has secured a capital of knowledge or fame in the context of political marketing, which makes him well known.
“As a result, fame constitutes one of the forms of capital used in political marketing communication. In general, no people in the republic are unaware of Prabowo because he has run for president three times, and they read his name when they voted,” he said.
In terms of opportunity, Sihombing said that Subianto had a high chance of being a presidential candidate since his party, in coalition with another political party, has met the requirements to nominate a candidate. This indicates that the presidential threshold has been reached.
Subianto has the same chance of winning the contest as other candidates. However, his chance would depend on naming a vice presidential candidate, who can secure votes and sympathy. “As of yet, I haven’t seen a candidate that fits his style of securing votes. However, it will emerge once a large coalition supports them,” Sihombing added.
A coalition of seven or eight political parties, for instance, the top- and middle-level parties, will help Subianto win the election. It is possible to win a presidential election if the party electoral machine has been mobilized. It depends on their political management during the campaign.
Sihombing noted that allegations of Subianto had committed human rights abuses during the 1998 political reform would not affect his candidacy because certain groups only propagate the allegations. No court ruling or other legal institution has yet ruled on the human rights violations accusation against Subianto. Hence, there is considerable doubt as to the validity of the allegations. As a result, Subianto has been cleared of any charges against the group in question.
In terms of the political coalition between the Gerindra Party and the PKB, Sihombing said as long as the General Election Commission (KPU) has not yet decided the pair for the presidential election and the coalition has not been officially signed, the alliance is still fluid. Therefore, it is not sure that the PKB and Gerindra will form a partnership to support a presidential candidate.
“The PKB can have a coalition with certain political power depending on the offer of a political transaction,” he explained. He added that Gerinda and the PKB did not automatically guarantee to support Subianto and Iskandar for the candidacy of president and vice president, respectively.
The coalition between Gerindra and the PKB does not guarantee the candidate’s victory in the 2024 election because several central figures in the country’s largest Muslim group Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) does not support Iskandar and his political party. “The NU does not guarantee that all members will vote for Iskandar, even if he was nominated as a vice presidential candidate,” Sihombing said.
