TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Zulkifli Hasan has requested the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) to promote Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini to face Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama in the upcoming 2017 Jakarta Gubernatorial Election.

“We hope that the PDIP will promote Risma for the Jakarta [Gubernatorial Election],” Zulkifli, who also serves as the People’s Consultative Assembly Speaker, said in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 24, 2016.

He suggested that there should be several candidates promoted by the PDIP, so that public would have more choices.

“The worthy opponent for Ahok is Risma,” Zulkifli added.

However, Zulkifli said that any decisions made by the PDIP must be respected.

There has been a speculation that the PDIP will support incumbent pair Ahok and Djarot Saiful Hidayat in the upcoming election. Ahok currently bags supports from the National Democratic Party (NasDem), the Functional Group (Golkar) Party, and the People’s Conscience (Hanura) Party, which have 24 seats combined at the Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD). The PDIP currently has 28 seats.

Ahok on Wednesday, August 17, 2016, confirmed the rumor saying that he had met PDIP chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri in Jakarta. He claimed that Megawati had a prerogative right to decide which candidate to be supported by the party. Ahok clarified that he came to the PDIP headquarter not to ask for a support but to ask a permission to run with Djarot.

ODELIA SINAGA