TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Some surveys have narrowed the field down to Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto as presidential candidates likely to run in the 2019 general election. Jokowi has officially been named presidential candidate, with the support of seven parties eligible to run in the general elections. And it is only a matter of time before Prabowo announces his candidacy. But the competition extends beyond the presidential seat, with Jokowi and Prabowo mulling over potential running mates as their key to winning the election.
Yorrys Raweyai arrived at the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) last Tuesday carrying a report. The All-Indonesian Workers Union Federation (KSPSI), which he leads, had held a meeting in which they agreed to, among others, give support to Joko Widodo in the 2019 presidential election. Yorrys claims that 5,000 KSPSI members will form a volunteer organization to help Jokowi win the election.
According to Yorrys, the plan to form a volunteer organization for Jokowi’s campaign was already being led by General (ret) Moeldoko, chief of the Presidential Staff Office, before the organization held their consultation meeting. He reported on the initiative to Moeldoko, who then asked Eko Sulistyo, deputy IV for political affairs at the Presidential Staff Office, to coordinate with him. "This is a follow-up to bring about concrete measures in declaring a volunteer organization for Jokowi (his campaign)," said Yorrys last Tuesday.
The plan was discussed long before Moeldoko was appointed a chief of the Presidential Office Staff on January 17. One month earlier, Moeldoko had brought together a number of retired military personnel and called on them to support Jokowi in 2019. Yorrys was present although he was never a military man himself. In that first meeting, they concluded that they would be forming volunteer groups to support Jokowi in the upcoming election.
In addition to raising support to form volunteer groups, Moeldoko routinely visits areas where Jokowi received fewer votes in the 2014 election. After he was appointed, he went to the Padjadjaran University, Bandung, West Java, in mid-February, to present the achievements of Jokowi’s administration over the past three years. He was scheduled to give a similar talk at the Andalas University, Padang, West Sumatra, four days later, but the plan was canceled because he was suddenly summoned by President Jokowi to attend a limited cabinet meeting.
Moeldoko visits remote areas in West Java nearly every weekend. On these occasions, he does not act in his capacity as chief of the Presidential Staff Office, but as general chair of the Indonesian Farmers Association. At the Miftahul Huda Islamic Boarding School in Tasikmalaya, in mid-February, he held a workshop for ‘student farmers’ to pass on agricultural knowledge to students.
In 2014, in West Java, Jokowi received fewer votes than his opponent, Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa, 40.22 percent compared to the latter’s 59.78 percent. He suffered an even more decisive loss in Tasikmalaya, where he only received 30 percent of the votes. Meanwhile, West Java is the province with the highest number of voters.
Read the full article in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine
