By: Putri Dewi Nathania)*
President Prabowo Subianto’s support as General Chair of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) for one of the candidate pairs in the 2024 Pilkada contest, namely the Candidate for Governor and Candidate for Deputy Governor of Central Java, Ahmad Luthfi and Taj Yasin, does not violate any rules in the implementation of the regional democratic party.
The reason is that the role of President Prabowo, who is also the general chairman of a party, in supporting candidates from the party and its coalition is the right of citizens and political parties that is in accordance with the rules.
A number of observers and experts emphasized that there is no rule prohibiting such actions, including when the perpetrator is President Prabowo, who is also the General Chair of the Gerindra Party.
Head of the Presidential Communications Office, Hasan Nasbi, said that as the General Chair of the Gerindra Party, President Prabowo has the right to support regional head candidates supported by his party. According to him, the eighth President of the Republic of Indonesia does not only have the authority to sign recommendations for candidates supported by Gerindra, Prabowo also provides open support as a form of the party’s political commitment to the candidate.
Therefore, Hasan assessed that the support given by President Prabowo to the Luthfi-Taj Yasin pair did not violate any rules in the context of the Regional Head Election. Hasan also explained that the neutrality rules that apply in this democratic party only bind TNI/Polri personnel and State Civil Apparatus (ASN).
In contrast to state apparatus, officials from political parties, including the President, have the political right to provide support or even campaign as long as they do so by paying attention to applicable ethics and regulations, such as not misusing state facilities or campaigning on workdays without permission for leave.
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs (Menko Polkam), Budi Gunawan, also emphasized that the Government will always remind the importance of the neutrality of state administrators so that the Regional Head Elections run smoothly.
According to Budi, neutrality is something that must be adhered to by election organizers so that this local political contestation event every 5 years runs fairly and peacefully. However, Budi also views that President Prabowo’s support for certain candidates in the 2024 Pilkada does not need to be seen as a form of partisanship that has the potential to cause legal problems. On the contrary, President Prabowo as the general chairman of the party has the right and freedom to support the candidate supported by his party.
The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs also emphasized that although President Prabowo gave his support to Luthfi-Taj Yasin, he still showed a neutral attitude in general in his capacity as Head of State.
On the other hand, Budi Gunawan stated that every candidate who advances in the regional political contest has the freedom to ask for support from anyone, including the President. This confirms that in the context of democracy, regional head candidates can seek political support to strengthen their electability.
President Prabowo’s move, who is currently on an overseas visit ahead of the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections, is also proof that the Head of State is trying to avoid accusations of direct intervention in the Regional Elections.
Academic and political observer from Al Azhar University Indonesia, Ujang Komarudin, assessed that the support conveyed by President Prabowo cannot be considered as intervention or political interference in the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections.
According to him, as a national leader who is also the general chairman of a political party, President Prabowo has the legitimate political right as the General Chair of Gerindra to support regional head candidates supported by his party. According to Ujang, President Prabowo’s move to support Ahmad Luthfi in the political contest is his political right in accordance with applicable legal regulations.
From the legal side, President Prabowo’s action in providing political support also does not cause a conflict of interest that violates the rules. As the General Chairperson of the Gerindra Party, President Prabowo has the authority to determine political recommendations for candidates who are considered capable of bringing progress to the region.
In this capacity, support for the candidate pair in the 2024 Central Java Pilkada is real proof that a party general chairman has the political right to help direct cadres or candidates who are considered capable of carrying out the vision and mission of their party.
Overall, the support given by President Prabowo in the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections not only shows his role as an active party leader, but is also his right as a political leader.
There is no rule prohibiting the Gerindra General Chairman from supporting or campaigning for a particular candidate. On the contrary, President Prabowo’s move is part of a healthy political process, where every candidate has the right to receive support from parties or figures who are able to increase public trust.
Once again, President Prabowo’s support for candidates in this regional political contest is not a form of intervention, but rather part of his active role in strengthening Gerindra’s political direction in the 2024 Pilkada. As Head of State who is also the General Chairperson of Gerindra, President Prabowo Subianto has the right to support candidates from his party without violating the limits of legal regulations.
) *The author is a contributor to the Perkasa Media Institute