Claims first political party dare declare a presidential candidate, PSI: Just beat it, brush it

Claims to be the first political party to dare to declare a presidential candidate, PSI: Just beat it, brush it

Chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) Giring Ganesha said his party had the courage to carry Ganjar Pranowo as a presidential candidate (candidate). 

He stated that this attitude was not shared by other political parties. 

“What does he (Ganjar) need? Party. Because the other parties are still here (it's not clear), PSI just beat them up," said Giring at the Kompas Tower, South Palmerah, Jakarta, Tuesday (11/10/2022). 

Giring then revealed that PSI saw that the people wanted the Governor of Central Java to participate in the 2024 Presidential Election (Pilpres) contestation. 

This can be seen from the results of polls from various survey institutions which place Ganjar as the presidential candidate with the highest electability level. 

According to Giring, similar results were also obtained from the results of the PSI People's Consultative Meeting. 

“At the PSI People's Consultation, 55 percent (of respondents) voted for Mas Ganjar out of 100,000 votes, right. So this candidate is strong," he said. 

Furthermore, Giring hopes that PSI's decision can initiate community support for Ganjar Pranowo. So that more and more other political parties will pave the way for the 2024 contestation. 

“Let this be a snow ball effect, it can be a community movement. In the end, people will voice their voices to their respective parties,” he said. 

It is known, PSI declared Ganjar Pranowo as a presidential candidate and the son of the 4th President of Indonesia Abdurrachman Wahid, Yenny Wahid as a candidate for vice president (cawapres). 

The declaration was made on the same day when the Nasdem Party nominated DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan as a presidential candidate, on October 3, 2022. 

Regarding his candidacy, Ganjar admitted that he had communicated with PSI and respected the decision. 

Meanwhile, resistance emerged from the internal PDI-P. 

The chairman of the PDI-P DPP for Election Winning (Bappilu) Bambang Wuryanto or Bambang Pacul considered PSI's move to be unethical. 

According to him, PSI should have asked PDI-P General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri for permission first before carrying Ganjar. 

Meanwhile, PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto assessed that as a political party that both supports President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), PSI often carries out adverse maneuvers.