It’s official: SBY backs Prabowo
 

It’s official: SBY backs
Prabowo

Margareth Aritonang, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Election Watch | Tue, July 01 2014, 9:57 AM

President Susilo Bambang Yu-dhoyono’s Democratic Party officially declared its support for the Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa presidential ticket on Monday, instructing all its supporters in the regions to ensure victory for the pair.

The decision came after Yudhoyono had repeatedly declared his neutrality and after weeks of allowing his party officials to freely determine their own stance in the election.

“You can see the Democratic Party’s elite is a full team here. We in part made the decision according to one clear structural direction from the chairman [Yudhoyono],” the party’s executive chairman Syariefuddin “Syarief” Hasan said in a press conference at the party’s headquarters.

Syarief, who is also the cooperatives and small and medium enterprises minister, announced the party’s stance in the presence of Yudhoyono’s youngest son Edhie “Ibas” Baskoro, who is married to Hatta’s eldest daughter Aliya.

Also in attendance were Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik, Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin and Transportation Minister EE Mangindaan.

Yudhoyono, who like Prabowo, is a former general, was on the officers council that discharged Prabowo for ordering the kidnapping of the activists in 1998.

The Democratic Party will join Prabowo’s camp, supported by the Gerindra Party, the Golkar Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB).

The coalition accounts for 59.12 percent of the legislative vote.

Presidential front-runner Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, meanwhile, is supported by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the NasDem Party, the Hanura Party and the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI).

The camp accounts for 40.88 percent of the legislative vote.

Although Prabowo received wider support from political parties, political observers believe it will not guarantee an easy victory for the dismissed Army general on July 9. “The decision by the Democratic Party to support Prabowo was not directly announced by Yudhoyono, thus it will have less influence on voters,” said Arya Budi of the Pol-Tracking Institute.

“Yudhoyono is still very popular and he can influence many swing voters. If he decided to openly declare his support for Prabowo, it would be a great blow to Jokowi,” he said.

Senior researcher from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Syamsuddin Haris said the additional members in Prabowo’s camp would be a burden, not an opportunity for Prabowo. According to Syamsyuddin, who heads LIPI’s center for political research, an alliance with the Democratic Party would not bring a significant impact in wooing voters due to the party’s sinking popularity.

He said both Prabowo and Jokowi both had their own loyalists who would not easily shift sides regardless of the campaigns launched.

“Another additional burden is that Prabowo, if elected, will have to allocate additional ministerial posts to the Democratic Party,” Syamsuddin said.

Earlier on Monday, the PDI-P’s camp was rocked by the decision of its highly popular politician and former Central Java deputy governor Rustriningsih to jump ship to Prabowo’s camp.

While the PDI-P’s top politician Puan Maharani, the daughter of the party’s chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, had yet to openly declare any sanction for Rustriningsih, the former Kebumen regent is likely to be dismissed.

“The decision will not be a problem for us. It’s a decision from an individual who holds a grudge against us,” said Puan in Magelang, Central Java.

Gerindra secretary-general Fadli Zon said on the sidelines of a fast- breaking ceremony in Jakarta that his camp welcomed Rustriningsih due to her prominent role in Central Java.

He also said the party was expecting a final say from her in a few days.

“Central Java is a battleground that we must win [or] we must at least secure a balanced vote to confidently compete at the national level,” Fadli said.

Central Java, the third-most populous province after West Java and East Java, is a PDI-P traditional stronghold.

In the second day of the fasting month, both Jokowi and Prabowo focused on greeting their supporters around the capital.

Jokowi’s running mate, Jusuf Kalla, however, was rushed to the Abdi Waluyo hospital in Central Jakarta on Sunday morning due to fatigue.

The 73-year-old politician was released from hospital on Monday evening after receiving vitamin injections.