July 18, 2023
JAKARTA – Mayor of Surakarta, Central Java, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on Monday that starting this weekend he would begin his task of canvassing for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo.
Gibran told reporters that he was still waiting for schedule for his campaign trip prepared by Ganjar’s team.
“This Saturday, I will start the tour. I will travel outside of the province,” he said, quoted by Antara.
Gibran also said he would wait for instructions from the PDI-P especially on the communication strategy for Ganjar’s political campaign.
“On the question of direction, yes I will give them direction. I told my volunteers the other day, that there will be two choices,” Gibran said, referring to the presidential candidacy of Ganjar and that of the Gerindra Party chairman and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto.
In late May, The PDI-P central board summoned Gibran to appear at the party’s headquarters in Central Jakarta to reprimand him for having a private meeting with Prabowo.
The PDI-P decided not to sanction Gibran over the controversy, which came amid a growing contingent of the President’s supporter groups pledging support for Prabowo in the 2024 presidential race over Ganjar.
Jokowi is a member of the PDI-P, and he and the party have enjoyed a fruitful relationship stretching back to when the President made his foray into politics as the mayor of Surakarta in 2005. While Gibran already made his name as an entrepreneur, he eventually followed in Jokowi’s footsteps after being elected as Surakarta mayor in 2020, with the backing of the PDI-P.