Jokowi Brushes Off Rumors of Joining Grand Campaign Rally
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7 February 2024 15:17 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi denied rumors that he would participate in the grand campaign rally on February 10, insisting that he would not take the stage to promote any candidate in the upcoming p residential election.
“Who said that?” he said when asked about the rumor in Batubara Regency, North Sumatra, on Feb. 7, as quoted from a video released by the presidential’s press bureau.
Presidential candidate pair, Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka, are set to hold a grand campaign rally at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Jakarta on Feb. 10.
Jokowi recalled his Jan. 24 statement at Halim Perdanakusuma that a sitting president is allowed to campaign for a particular candidate. “The question is, will I campaign? My answer is no. I will not campaign [for any candidate].”
Speaking at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Jan. 26, he reaffirmed that it was stipulated in Articles 281 and 299 of Law No. 7 of 2017 on elections.
Jokowi's recent statements have faced criticism from various groups, as concerns have been raised about the potential abuse of power resulting from the leader’s bias towards a certain candidate.
Legal experts reminded him that there are limits to the president’s support for a certain candidate pair, as noted in Article 282 of the Election Law.
Rumors recently surfaced that Jokowi would attend the final campaign rally. Moreover, the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) chairman Kaesang Pangarep, who is Jokowi's younger son, had expressed his wish for the President’s presence on the campaign stage.
Previously, on the sidelines of his working visit to Bandung and Yogyakarta, Jokowi met with Kaesang and several PSI cadres. However, he denied speculation that the meeting was part of the campaign. “I was invited to come and have tea,” he said in Bandung on Saturday, Feb. 3.
DANIEL A. FAJRI
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