Prabowo-SBY to Meet, Gerindra: Canvassing AHY for VP Candidacy

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Gerindra Party central board chairman Ahmad Riza Patria said his party's chief patron Prabowo Subianto would meet with Democrat chair Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) on Tuesday, July 24. The planned talks would mull over the possibilities of Yudhoyono's son, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), as Prabowo's running mate. 

According to Riza, the commander of the Democratic Party’s Joint Task Force (Kogasma) was perceived as a figure of high compatibility allowing for his young supporters, intelligence and performance. 

“In that meeting, we will review the value of AHY should he accompany Prabowo,” said Riza Patria in the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Friday, July 20. 

Read: Poll Results Suggest West Java Prefers Jokowi to Prabowo

Other than AHY, Riza mentioned, Gerindra was also weighing up other candidates touted by the its coalition. “[The meeting is] similar to our session with PAN that proposes Zulkifli Hasan, we will assess [AHY]’s value, as well as with PKS,” he added.

Earlier, Prabowo planned to meet SBY for talks on political issues on Wednesday, July 18, which was then postponed following the latter's illness that sent him to the Subroto Army Central Hospital (RSPAD), Central Jakarta.

Earlier reports said Prabowo visited Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the hospital on July 18 at around 18:30 local time. Gerindra expected the re-scheduled meeting between both parties’ helmsmen on July 24 would proceed without a hitch.

DEWI NURITA