PKS Requests Joint Meeting

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

National Mandate Party chairman Zulkifli Hasan (front right) speaks to the press on Wednesday evening (25/7/2018) following a meeting at the home of Democratic Party chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (front left) in Mega Kuningan, Jakarta. The meeting between the two leaders discussed recent issues in the country.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The PKS hopes there will soon be a joint meeting between the leaders of the four political parties that may potentially form a coalition for the 2019 General Election to decide on their presidential-vice presidential candidate pair.

The PKS also called on the parties to soften their stance to find a middle ground. Aside from the PKS, the three other parties are the Gerindra Party, the Democratic Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN).

"Let\'s gather all the names. That\'s the etiquette, because we are political wagons, not just locomotives," PKS central executive board chairman Mardani Ali Sera said on Wednesday (25/7/2018) in Jakarta.

The possibility of the four parties forming a coalition emerged following a meeting on Tuesday between Democrat chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Gerindra chairman Prabowo Subianto. The two leaders agreed to explore the possibility of forming a coalition. Prabowo said at the time that his meeting with Yudhoyono had also been discussed with PAN and the PKS (Kompas, 25/7/2018).

Following his meeting with Prabowo, Yudhoyono received a visit from PAN chairman Zulkifli Hasan on Wednesday evening at his home in Mega Kuningan, Jakarta.

Yudhoyono said the meeting, which took place from 7:50 p.m. to 9:20 p.m., was more to exchange their views on the problems the people were facing, and a possible vision and mission for the next five years if a new government was formed.

He stressed that the meeting did not discuss a potential candidate for vice president. "I am convinced that the presidential candidate we support will have the independence to determine his own vice president, of course after communicating with the party chairmen," said Yudhoyono.

Zulkifli said his meeting with Yudhoyono was part of the process of exploring a possible coalition. "Intense communication is good, and I think sooner or later, the answer becomes clear. Like in football, there will be injury time," he said.

Separately, PAN central executive board chairman Viva Yoga Mauladi said the direction of the party’s coalition for the 2019 general election would be determined during a PAN National Working Meeting that was planned for early August. The party was trying to explore all possibilities prior to the meeting.

Internally, said Viva Yoga, the party was still split. Some party leaders still wanted PAN to proceed with the coalition of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo; others wanted to support a presidential candidate other than Jokowi.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Democratic Party chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (left) escorts National Mandate Party chairman Zulkifli Hasan (right) at his residence in Mega Kuningan, Jakarta, following a meeting on Wednesday evening (25/7/2018). The meeting between the two leaders discussed recent issues in the country.

Interests

Mardani said that Gerindra, the Democrats, the PKS and PAN had their own interests for the 2019 presidential election. Gerindra wanted to back Prabowo for president; the Democrats wanted to back Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) for vice president. Meanwhile, PAN was backing Zulkifli Hasan for vice president, and the PKS proposed nine cadres, but were now leaning toward Syuro Council chairman Salim Segaf Al-Jufri.

However, Mardani said, the PKS was open to softening its stance and was not imposing its cadres as the vice presidential candidate. "The PKS is open (to lowering our bid), as Gerindra is open to not imposing Pak Prabowo, the Democratic Party is open to not imposing AHY, and PAN is open to not imposing Bang Zul," he said.

The PKS was unwilling to think of a backup plan if talks with Gerindra and the other parties ended in a deadlock. "We remain confident that Pak Prabowo will remain with the PKS. Therefore, we will stay with Gerindra," he said.

Gerindra vice chairman Fadli Zon also believed that the PKS would not leave the coalition, even if the vice presidential candidate was not a PKS cadre.

Fadli said that during Prabowo\'s meeting with Yudhoyono, it was agreed to concentrate on two or three names for the vice presidential candidate, and that Gerindra, the Democrats, the PKS and PAN would form a small team for this purpose.

He added that the coalition was looking for a strong pairing to win. In that regard, AHY had emerged as one of the strongest options. "Pak Prabowo also replied, \'AHY, why not\'?" he said.

Meanwhile, the secretaries-general of the six political parties supporting President Jokowi are to meet soon following a general chairmen’s meeting on Monday evening at the Bogor Palace, West Java. "This meeting is for discussing technical matters," said Pramono Anung, a former secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

(AGE/APA/NTA/GAL/REK/BOW)