Tatang Guritno, Jakarta – The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) should open itself up to other political parties following the meeting between National Democrat (Nasdem) Party General Chairperson Surya Paloh and Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Party General Chairperson Prabowo Subianto.
This is because, according to National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) principle expert researcher Firman Noor, the meeting of the two could signal the formation of a coalition which could very possibly be a serious rival for the PDI-P in the 2024 presidential elections.
"So this is actually a warning that if by the end of the year there isn't any meaningful move (by the PDI-P) yes well it will be difficult (for them to compete)", Noor told Kompas.com on Thursday June 2.
Noor said that the PDI-P should immediately establish political communication with other political parties.
This is because previous meetings between the political party elites have not suggested any desire to support PDI-P Chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri's daughter Puan Maharani as a presidential candidate.
"Because many camps have already been built and not all of them are directing support towards Puan", he said. "So the PDI-P must move quickly because if not they will get left behind by the train", said Noor.
Moreover, said Noor, if Gerindra and Nasdem come to an agreement, a coalition between the two in the 2024 elections would be very strong.
"The strength of this (coalition) would be significant, it would be serious, they have good figures and electability, they have quite a good party machine and sufficient financial backing", he said.
Noor's reasons for saying this is because Nasdem currently appears to be directing their support towards Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan while Gerindra is still pushing to nominate Prabowo.
These two figures have an electability in the top three based on surveys by several different polling institutions.
The other figure with an electability comparable to these two continued Noor is Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo who appears to have not yet gained support from the PDI-P to advance as a presidential candidate.
"So in terms of what's realistic (for the PDI-P) if they don't move soon they could have it stolen from them", he said.
Prabowo Surya Paloh held a four-and-a-half hour meeting at the Nasdem central leadership board offices in Jakarta on June 1. Paloh claimed he once again asked Prabowo whether or not he would again step forward as a presidential candidate in 2024.
He revealed that the meeting was not just between two political party heads, but also a meeting between old friends. Paloh did not deny the possibility of a coalition being formed between Nasdem and Gerindra.
"It's possible that it could happen at any time. Like the old English proverb goes 'there's many a slip tween the cup and the lip', anything could happen. Now, that's an old English proverb", he said.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Pertemuan Prabowo-Surya Paloh Dinilai "Warning" bagi PDI-P untuk Bergerak".]
