Sandi’s Political Campaign for The Sake of Electoral Vote

By: Abdul Aziz *

The 2019 presidential election will last around 3 months. The political campaign is increasingly intensively carried out by each candidate pair of candidates and vice presidential candidates. Recently, Vice President number 02, Sandiaga Uno held a dialogue with the shallot farmer group in Sukomoro Village, Sukomoro District, Nganjuk Regency, East Java. In front of the onion farmers, Sandiaga promised to implement a system he had implemented in DKI Jakarta to help farmers win the 2019 Presidential Election. He would buy directly agricultural produce from the source so that farmers could prosper.
The method or system will be carried out through Bulog or other stakeholders or third parties through the mechanism of the Public Private Partnership. In addition, he will also apply Control Atmosphere Storage (CAS) technology that can make agricultural products such as onions can be stored for six to nine months. Sandi stressed that if he was offered a political contract with onion farmers to keep the selling price of shallots stable, he would not object. Throughout the year, Prabowo-Sandi is ready to buy onions at a price of under Rp 10,000 and the price of Rp 15,000 at harvest. “So there is no loss of farmers. The government must be present for farmers. Because one of Prabowo-Sandi’s focuses is to realize food self-sufficiency. How do you want food self-sufficiency if the farmers don’t prosper, “said Sandiaga.
Previously, Prabowo – Sandi during a speech on the declaration of the winning Ulama Command Prabowo-Sandi (Koppasandi) expressed the intention to realize food self-sufficiency as achieved by the New Order regime in 1984. Food self-sufficiency was the solution offered while criticizing Jokowi’s government import policy.
Regarding food self-sufficiency, we all know, our country Indonesia still cannot be separated from imports. Because, not all commodities can be produced in the country. There is nothing in this country that meets all of its own needs. The reason for the Jokowi’s government to import is not due to limited land. Even though imports are still the solution to food self-sufficiency, Indonesia’s food sovereignty remains sovereign. Thus, dependence on other countries is still within a small limit. Not just as long as you speak rejecting imports to gain false political support and promises. Imports since they have not been independent until now continue to be carried out in every Indonesian government. In fact, in addition to importing, the Jokowi government has also fixed the infrastructure inside. Like building embung, making dams and printing new fields.
Soeharto’s era, since coming to power in 1967, it was only in 1983 that he was able to complete food self-sufficiency, that self-sufficiency only lasted for 5 years during his 32 years of leadership. The process of food security and self-sufficiency in food is a long process. It cannot then be resolved only with the jargon of political promises and utilized for electoral interests ahead of the 2019 Presidential Election.
Many economists and agricultural experts argue that the narrative of economic development and food self-sufficiency in Prabowo-Sandi has been limited to mere jargon for electoral interests and not for the benefit of the country’s economic development. The goal is only to pick up the sound, oversimplify and simplify. It is difficult to believe that the economic program and food self-sufficiency offered by Prabowo Sandi is able to be implemented and realized by them.
There is a unique story in the recent Sandi campaign that received a unique welcome on Java. After its presence in several areas in Central Java, such as Wonogiri, it was shouted by Jokowi’s supporters who shouted Jokowi’s name when Sandiaga’s motorcade went by a road, this also happened in Surabaya, East Java when heading to Jadwa Al Hasyimi Islamic Boarding School. When the Sandiaga vehicle convoy passed, a group of people shouted the word ‘Jokowi’ and raised a small-sized flag with a picture of Jokowi. The event seemed to be a slick picture, where the direction of community support and trust in the future. To those who have shown achievement and continue to work even though they are constantly being cursed, or newcomers who try to make promises.
*) The author is a Political Student, one of the Jakarta Prov. PTN