TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) faction of the Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD DKI Jakarta), Gembong Warsono, said there was no rule barring Sandiaga Uno to return to his prior position as the Jakarta deputy governor.

The probable return of Sandiaga to his prior seat emerged in the wake of multiple results of quick count indicating the victory of the Jokowi-Ma’ruf Amin ticket in the 2019 presidential race.

Referring to the rule of candidacy, he continued, the parties supporting Anies Baswedan in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election, viz. the Gerindra Party and the Prosperous Justice Party, could withdraw the candidacy of Agung Yulianto and Ahmad Syaikhu—both are PKS cadres—that had been tendered to the DPRD as candidates of the capital’s deputy governor.

“If the supporting parties withdraw [the candidacy of both candidates], that is allowed, there is no problem with that,” Gembong told Tempo on Monday, April 22, 2019.

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Gembong said, however, that it would be unethical for Sandiaga to return to his prior post as the capital’s deputy governor albeit possible. Besides, he added, the appointment of the Jakarta deputy governor could not be carried out yet at the DPRD, pending the formation of a special committee that would set the rules for the appointment.

The chairman of the PKS faction at the DPRD DKI Jakarta, Abdurrahman Suhaimi, meanwhile, balked at responding to speculations that Sandiaga might return to his initial post should the latter’s vice-presidential bid went awry.

“God willing, Prabowo-Sandi will prevail. That is our prediction,” Suhaimi said on Saturday, April 20, 2019.

The chairman of Gerindra Party’s Jakarta chapter, Mohamad Taufik, has shrugged off the scenario that Sandiaga Uno would return to the Jakarta administration. “The person who said this lacks common sense,” he said on Thursday, April 18, 2019.

M YUSUF MANURUNG