JAKARTA — The Golkar Party will not question incumbent President Joko Widodo (Jokowi’s) decision to pick up a non-political party cadre as his running mate in the 2019 presidential elections. Golkar’s Executive Board Chairman, Bambang Soesatyo, said here that his party would entrust Jokowi to pick up his own running mate, including a non-political party cadre.
“We will fully support Jokowi’s decision to choose anyone as his running mate in the coming elections,” Soesatyo, who is also the House Speaker, stated on Wednesday. Golkar has entrusted Jokowi to choose his cawapres (vice presidential candidate) from a political party or non-political party circles.
He noted that there are names, such as KH Ma’ruf Amin (chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Coucil/MUI), Mahfud MD (former Constitutional Court/MK chairman), retired general Moeldoko (former Indonesian Defense Forces commander), General Tito Karnavian (current National Police chief), Commissioner General Syafruddin (head of the National Police Education Institution), and Gen. Budi Gunawan (Head of the State Intelligence Agency) in the non-political party list.
“Golkar has fully entrusted Jokowi to lead this country once again and give utmost confidence to determine his deputy,” he remarked. But Soesatyo asserted that Golkar still hopes Jokowi would elect Golkar Chairman Airlangga Hartarto as his vice presidential candidate.
Previously, Chairman of PPP Romahurmuziy noted that Jokowi had pocketed 10 names that will be selected to become his vice presidential candidate. The names of the would-be candidates have been submitted to the chairman of Jokowi’s political party supporters. But Romahurmuziy is reluctant to leak the names, revealing only the background information of the would-be candidates.
“I can only say that there are politicians, intellectual figures, retired military and police officers, technocrats, and professionals among the 10 names,” Romahurmuziy revealed at the PPP office in Jakarta on Monday (July 9). He added that the vice president’s nomination was to be discussed together with all the leaders of the coalition party, and Jokowi was currently seeking the opinion of the respective chairperson about the 10 existing names.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairman, Hendrawan Supratikno, pointed out that his party was still finalizing the priority list of vice-presidential candidates.
