The Supposed Assault on Ratna Sarumpaet
Yesterday, Gerindra Politician Fadli Zon made popular the news that Ratna Sarumpaet, a spokesperson of the Prabowo-Sandi national campaign team, had been assaulted by a group of unknown assailants. Another Gerindra Politician Rachel Maryam posted the same information on her personal Twitter account. The West Java Police immediately launched an investigation.
More on Nasdem and the 2019 General Election
The House of Representatives (DPR) has on Tuesday (Oct. 2) sworn in nine lawmakers for the political parties whose previous lawmakers had decided to leave them behind for the Nasdem Party. Prabowo Subianto’s Gerindra Party lost the most lawmakers from this recent trend. Five of their lawmakers have moved to Nasdem.
Natural Disasters & Security Concern
A tsunami hit the province of Central Sulawesi following the already devastating 7.7 magnitude quake on Friday (Sep. 28). This is the second natural disaster in the region after the quake that shook Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). Central Sulawesi, however, is known for being a hotspot for conflict. This a serious situation given that we are in an election season. Politicians could take advantage of any opportunity by spinning rhetorics, and this then could increase social tension.
The 2019 Race: East Kalimantan
The new Governor of East Kalimantan Isran Noor and his Vice Governor Hadi Mulyadi told the press that they endorse Prabowo Subianto in the 2019 presidential election. This is the first public endorsement from a regional head for Prabowo. But is that enough to defeat incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in East Kalimantan?
Prabowo’s Anti-Communist & Anti-China Rhetorics
Anti-communist campaigns and anti-China sentiment are not new issues in Indonesian politics. They’re like two sides of one coin, and they reemerge in every election. This time is no exception. In the 2019 presidential election, the supporters of Prabowo Subianto have used the commemoration of the Indonesia Communist Party (PKI) movement on September 30 as a momentum for relaying anti-communist rhetorics.
The 2019 Race: South Sumatera
South Sumatera was another province won by Prabowo Subianto in 2014 election, albeit by a narrow margin. He secured 2,132,163 votes (51.26%), whereas Joko “Jokowi” Widodo collected 2,027,049 votes (48.74%). But this time, in 2019 Prabowo might lose the province to Jokowi.
The Rise of Nasdem?
The new survey result released by polling agency Indikator Politik Indonesian shows the Nasdem Party, a political party led by media mogul Surya Paloh, with an electability of 3.4%. Though this is still below the 4% parliamentary threshold required to be seated in the House of Representatives (DPR), it’s so far the best survey result for Nasdem.
The 2019 Race: The Golkar Party
A few Golkar Party politicians have decided to endorse Prabowo Subianto. The Party is also under pressure because of graft cases implicating its politicians. Does this mean that the Golkar Party won’t be able to help President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s re-election campaign with its full force? Should Jokowi worry?
Gus Dur’s Family’s Endorsement of Jokowi
The big family of the late President Abdurrahman Wahid a.k.a Gus Dur has endorsed President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his running mate Ma’ruf Amin. In addition, nine organizations of Gus Dur’s supporters have also endorsed the incumbent pair. This is another blow for Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno who had expected the backing of Gus Dur’s family.
The Electability 0f Jokowi-Ma’ruf & Prabowo-Sandi
Indikator Politik Indonesia have released the result of their most recent survey. The Pollster found that the incumbent pair President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo-Ma’ruf Amin are still leading by a substantial margin over their contender Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno.