July 10, 2024
JAKARTA – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has dropped hints of support for the potential bid of his youngest son Kaesang Pangarep to run in the upcoming local elections, as the political novice embarked on a “political safari” to boost his standing.
Talks about Kaesang running for regional office have recently intensified following a controversial decision by the poll body and a court ruling to tweak the minimum age for candidates in the gubernatorial elections in November.
Asked by reporters on Monday whether he would support the idea of Kaesang running in any upcoming races, Jokowi signaled his blessing. “A parent’s job is simply to offer prayer and support,” he said with a smile.
Kaesang does not turn 30 until December of this year and was initially ineligible to run in any gubernatorial elections. But the General Elections Commission (KPU) later amended the age requirements to require candidates to be 30 years old at the time of their inauguration rather than at the time their candidacy is made official.
The decision came after the Supreme Court ordered the election agency to do so, essentially allowing Kaesang to join the race on a technicality.
The outgoing President’s hint of support for Kaesang came amid reports that he is being considered by various political parties as a potential candidate for either governor or deputy governor of Jakarta. Many of these parties are those behind the victory of president-elect Prabowo Subianto, who ran with Kaesang’s oldest brother Gibran Rakabuming Raka, in February.
But recent opinion polls showed Kaesang may have a better chance of winning the governorship in Central Java, where his father has a strong support base, than in Jakarta.
Read also: Kaesang tops latest survey for potential candidates to run in Central Java race
A survey released by Indikator Politik Indonesia on Sunday found that while many Central Java respondents were still undecided on who to vote for, Kaesang came out on top in the simulation of 20 candidates, with 17.7 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him if the election were held today.
Addressing his rising electability in Central Java as found in the opinion polls, Kaesang declined to comment much about his possible run, only saying: “Thank God the survey results turned out well.”
Kaesang also declined to give a definitive answer when asked whether he would run in Jakarta or Central Java, suggesting that those who are waiting for any decision about his candidacy would have to wait until August, when the three-day candidate registration period opens late in that month.
“Whether it will be in Jakarta or Central Java, I’d say be patient,” Kaesang said on Monday.
Read also: Kaesang denies being offered by Jokowi as Jakarta governor candidate
Despite having yet to decide on his candidacy, Kaeasang has embarked on a series of “blusukan” or impromptu visits around Jakarta, attending mass Friday prayers in numerous local mosques and spending his nights at the houses of his father’s supporters.
Kaesang, who only made his political debut late last year when he assumed the leadership of the small, self-styled youth Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) party, has also recently begun touring to meet political party leaders.
He and his party executives visited on Monday the headquarters of the Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), an opposition party that has been critical of his father’s administration over the last ten years.
The two parties said they now agreed to forge electoral cooperation for the November races, such as the Banten gubernatorial and Lebak regental elections.
Addressing questions about potential cooperation in the Jakarta gubernatorial race, PKS chair Ahmad Syaikhu reiterated the party’s support for Anies Baswedan and Sohibul Iman, saying that he hoped the PSI would also support their preferred candidate pair.
“We hope, God willing, that the PSI will be able to back [Anies-Sohibul] and be on the same boat with us,” Syaikhu said.
Read also: PKB teases potential Anies-Kaesang pairing in Jakarta election
When asked about the possibility of the PKS supporting Anies and Kaesang on a joint ticket instead, Syaikhu described Kaesang as an “interesting” choice but stressed that any change needs to be discussed with the party’s high council.
Kaesang told reporters that he, in the closed-door meeting with the PKS, made it clear that he had not offered himself to be Anies’ running mate. He said he suggested that the PKS should instead nominate its own member over Anies.
“In my personal opinion, the chairman of PKS, the party that won the Jakarta legislative election [in February], should run for governor,” Kaesang said.