IO, Jakarta – A spotlight is pointed on the plan for President Joko Widodo’s eldest child, Gibran Rakabuming, to stand as a candidate for Mayor of Surakarta. After all, when his candidacy through the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan – “PDIP”) Branch Leadership Council (Dewan Pimpinan Cabang – “DPC”) of Solo was initially rejected, as the registration period had just ended, Gibran then elected to submit his candidacy through PDIP’s Central Leadership Council (Dewan Pimpinan Pusat – “DPP”) instead making a direct appeal to PDIP’s General Chairwoman, Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Megawati has yet to make a statement. However, “She suggests that as a newcomer in politics, it would be wise for Gibran to read the “mandatory classics” written by Indonesia’s first president Sukarno, in order for him to understand the latter’s national ideology behind the Party. Such books include Indonesia Menggugat (“Indonesia Accuses”), Mencapai Indonesia Merdeka (“Achieving Indonesia’s Independence”), and Lahirnya Pancasila (“The Birth of Pancasila”). She has suggested that Young Gibran reads these books other than familiarizing himself with the Party’s Articles of Association and Memorandum of Association,” PDIP DPP’s General Secretary, Hasto Kristiyanto, stated at Mega’s residence in Jl. Teuku Umar recently.
Gibran stated that he is not entering politics in order to establish a political dynasty. “I am entering the contest, and I may end up getting elected or not. I might win or lose. If I were seeking to establish a political dynasty, I might as well have asked to be appointed a minister or something,” he said in the National Heroes’ Day talk show held by the Regional Leadership Council (Dewan Pimpinan Daerah – “DPD”) of the Young Bulls of Indonesia (Banteng Muda Indonesia – “BMI”) DKI Jakarta, PDIP’s youth organization, on Sunday (10/11/2019).
He further stated that if he waits for his father to end his term five years from now before he enters politics, too much time will be wasted. Gibran has joined PDIP and he is now attempting a candidacy for the 2020 Mayoral Elections of Solo. He chose to enter PDIP because he believes that the Party can accommodate the needs of the younger generation. “This is the era of the young, the smartphone era, and most smartphone users are millennials. So yeah, it’s the moment for the young to shine. I recently become aware that as the younger generation, we need to change the stereotype, the mindset of the people that politics is always dirty,” he said.
As a culinary entrepreneur, Gibran is fully aware that he has up to IDR 2 billion available to share as corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds. However, he cannot get the funds to be properly used by as many people as he likes. “If I want to be able to reach out to even more people, I would need to enter politics. With this first step (as mayor), I would automatically be able to reach out to 600,000 people,” he said.
Paramadina University’s political observer Hendri Satrio believes that Gibran has a chance of winning if his candidacy in the 2020 Mayoral Elections of Solo is accepted. However, there is also a possibility of losing if he should compete with other popular figures, such as Didi Kempot. “The question now is, can he (Gibran) win? Sure he can. On the other side of the coin, can he lose? The answer is, also, sure he can,” Hendri stated at Menara Kompas Building, Palmerah, Central Jakarta, on Friday (1/11/2019).
The Community Concerned with Solo’s Prosperity (Masyarakat Peduli Solo Sejahtera – “MPSS”) stated that a poll of Solo’s favorite public figures shows that Gibran Rakabuming’s popularity still falls behind fellow entrepreneur Puspo Wardoyo, owner of the Ayam Bakar Wong Solo diner. In the poll, Puspo obtained 68% of votes, while Gibran Rakabuming only obtained 14% (350 votes). The next most popular figures were Farid Sunarto at 8% (202 votes), Gunawan Setiawan at 6% (147 votes), Achmad Purnomo at 2% (60 votes), and Bambang Nugroho and Bagiyo Wahyono at 1% (15 votes) each.
The polling was held by MPSS three weeks ago and these results are posted on their official website. “We held the polling to see who the people would most want to see as candidate mayors in the Solo Regional Elections. We put up seven of the most frequently named names in the media and their photos in the polls. 2,472 voters participated in the polls for 18 days,” said MPSS Coordinator Abdurrohman Anshorulloh at linkto.run/p/HZ92SQAP on Monday (14/10/2019). (Dan)