Gedung Mahkamah Konstitusi
STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT. Continuity in politics will be one of the cornerstones of Prabowo Subianto’s time in office if he becomes president of Indonesia, his brother Hashim Djojohadikusumo has said.
“In terms of geopolitics, [continuity] means that Indonesia will hew [to] and continue a line of neutrality,” he said in his keynote speech at the Post’s Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2023.
Hashim said this was going to be increasingly important moving forward, with the world facing increased “great-power competition” as well as “the problems of Taiwan”, and where it stood in relation to mainland China.
Newly installed PST Chief Kaesang Pangarep has hinted his support for his elder brother, Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to be named as Prabowo Subianto’s vice-presidential candidate for the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election.
However, he was aware that Gibran’s candidacy would become a reality if the Constitutional Court’s ruling granted the request to change the minimum age requirement for one to apply for presidential and vice-presidential candidate from earlier 40 to 35 years old.
Earlier, Gibran acknowledged that he was offered the vice-presidential candidate by Prabowo several times, but he always rejected it, saying that the current law mentioned that the minimum age requirement would be 40 years old, while he was still 35.
A recent picture showing presumptive presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo sitting beside Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD has fueled speculation that the two could run as a pair in next year’s election.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has yet to name a running mate for Ganjar, but a party member hinted that Mahfud had emerged as a top candidate under the party’s consideration.
Indonesia’s Constitutional Court will next week rule on a petition seeking to lower the minimum age of presidential and vice presidential candidates in elections, which could pave the way for President Jokowi’s eldest son to run in 2024.
Indonesia Solidarity Party (PSI) chairman Kaesang Pangarep is set to meet with Gerindra Party counterpart Prabowo Subianto amid speculation that the former’s party will officially endorse the latter’s presidential bid. “Insya Allah [God Willing] I will meet with [Prabowo],” Kaesang said in response to reporters’ inquiries. “We are a new party, just established in 2014. We need to have friendly relations with big parties.”
The meeting would come after Kaesang, the youngest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, and his entourage of PSI executives, met with Puan Maharani, senior politician of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
The potential vice-presidential candidacy of Gibran Rakabuming Raka of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) may trigger an “open conflict” between his father President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and party matron Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Tensions have been running high this week as the Constitutional Court is set to deliver a major decision on Monday over petitions seeking to lower the minimum age of presidential and vice-presidential candidates, a case that could potentially clear the way for Gibran to enter February’s presidential race.
