Defense Minister Prabowo Remains Chairman of Indonesia’s Gerindra Party

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia's Defense Minister has been officially reappointed as chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) party from 2020 to 2025 during an extraordinary congress held at Hambalang, Bogor in West Java on August 8.

“On behalf of the chairperson of the extraordinary congress, we are grateful, Alhamdulillah. We give thanks and pray for Mr. Prabowo Subianto’s leadership for another five years,” said the chair of the congress, Ahmad Muzani, who is also Gerindra’s secretary-general in a video received by Kompas.com from the Gerindra Central Executive Board (DPP).

“Hopefully, Mr. Prabowo will be given strength, health, and long life by Allah SWT to lead us,” he said.

Also read:  Indonesia Aims to Export Covid-19 Vaccine Manufactured by State-Run Bio Farma

Prabowo accepted the extraordinary congress decision. He said that he was ready to lead the Gerindra party again for the next five years.

“If the request is made by this extraordinary congress, I declare that I am ready to be the chairman,” said the Defense Minister.

Prabowo founded the Gerindra party on February 6, 2008. He has chaired the party for 12 years.

Prabowo’s leadership also received support from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri. In a virtual speech, Mega encouraged the Gerindra Party to continue to contribute and fight for the Indonesian people.

“Hopefully [Gerindra] will strengthen its wings and take part in fighting for the development of great Indonesia,” said Mega, Indonesia's former president.

Also read: Indonesia Eyes Merger of State-Run Firms in Tourism, Aviation as Economy Slumps

She said Gerindra is a party that is loyal to the values of the Pancasila (state ideology comprising five principles). She expressed hope that Gerindra continues to consolidate its ideologies, organizations, and cadres to give solutions to the problems that the country is facing.

Mega believes that the Gerindra extraordinary congress will produce decisions that are beneficial to the country's politics in the future.

Meanwhile, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in his virtual speech stressed the importance of national food security as one of the keys to deal with the Covid-19 crisis. Jokowi has appointed Defense Minister Prabowo to lead the national food estate program recently.

“The World Health Organization has warned that the Covid-19 pandemic could have an impact on the food crisis. Therefore, I have assigned Mr. Prabowo, the Defense Minister, to fight for the strategic national food reserves that we will soon build in Central Kalimantan,” Jokowi said.

He hopes that Indonesia can attain food self-sufficiency. The president said that Indonesia can get through these challenging times.

Also read: Jokowi Appoints Indonesian Army Chief of Staff to Covid-19 Team

He called on all Gerindra party cadres to prioritize the well-being and safety of the people as part of the efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The president also asked everyone to participate in the effort to revive the people’s economy by buying local products from farmers, fishermen, and micro, small-medium enterprises to spur national economic growth in the third quarter.

Prabowo was Jokowi’s challenger in previous presidential elections. Jokowi appointed the retired general as minister of defense in October 2019.

(Writer: Tsarina Maharani | Editors: Bayu Galih, Irfan Maullana)

Source: Kompas.com