Jakarta – The General Chairman of the Gerindra Party who is also the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, invited the people of Central Java to support the 2024 Central Java gubernatorial candidate pair, Ahmad Luthfi and Taj Yasin.
The invitation was known from a video upload on Ahmad Luthfi’s Instagram account, which contained President Prabowo’s support for him. The video then went viral in a number of media and became a topic of discussion on social media. A number of parties considered that President Prabowo had intervened in the Pilkada.
Related to this, Gerindra DPP Daily Chair Sufmi Dasco Ahmad stated that there was nothing wrong with what President Prabowo Subianto did. As Gerindra General Chair, it is very natural for President Prabowo to campaign for the Ahmad Luthfi-Taj Yasin pair.
“As the General Chair of Gerindra and part of the Coalition of Parties Supporting Luthfi, Mr. Prabowo emphasized his support for the candidate pair, just like the general chairs of other parties who stated their support for Luthfi-Yasin,” said Dasco, in Jakarta, Sunday (10/11).
According to him, there is no prohibition for the President as a state official to campaign. The President may campaign as long as he is on campaign leave or campaigning on a holiday.
“According to Article 58 of Law 20/2023, as a state official, the president may campaign in the sense of calling, appealing, inviting to vote for one of the candidate pairs in the regional elections, as long as the campaign is carried out on holidays (Saturday/Sunday) according to PKPU 13/2024,” said Dasco.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security Budi Gunawan (BG) responded to President Prabowo Subianto’s support for Ahmad Luthfi-Taj Yasin. It is natural for regional head candidates to seek something to boost their electability. According to him, other candidates can also ask for Prabowo’s support.
The Head of the Presidential Communications Office, Hasan Nasbi, also said that Prabowo conveyed the invitation in his capacity as the General Chairperson of the Gerindra Party.
“Mr. Prabowo is the general chairperson of the party. As the general chairperson of the party, he signs recommendations for regional head candidates,” said Hasan, in Jakarta.
Previously, President Prabowo conveyed an invitation to vote for the pair Ahmad Luthfi and Taj Yasin Maimoen in the 2024 Central Java Pilkada. President Prabowo assessed that both have long experience and dedication in Central Java and both will easily work together with the central government. [*]