Political Figures Maneuver in Eid al-Fitr Gathering
Several figures have taken advantage of the Eid al-Fitr gathering for political lobbying to prepare for the 2024 general election. On May 5, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Erick Thohir met with President Joko Widodo at Bali’s Tampaksiring Palace. "Before checking the readiness of SOE facilities for arus balik [mass return from homeward-bound] and Lebaran holiday, my wife and I met with Mr. President Joko Widodo and Mrs. Iriana," Erick said in a post on his Instagram account Friday.
Erick said the meeting with Jokowi is not a formal state meeting. Previously, Jokowi met with Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto at the Yogyakarta Palace. Prabowo also visited several political figures, such as the 5th President and General Chair of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Megawati Soekarnoputri and East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Prawansa.
Apart from government figures, the Democratic Party chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono met with the General Chair of Golkar Airlangga Hartarto. The two had discussed the possibility of a coalition. "Golkar and Democrats have experienced togetherness. Golkar used to support the initiator and main cadre of the Democratic Party, Mr. SBY [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono], as the 6th President," Airlangga said on Saturday.