BeritaSatu, Jakarta – Presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo and potential rival Prabowo Subianto were seen attending an event in Jakarta on Saturday, both coincidentally wearing checkered shirts.
Ganjar said that they didn't plan to attend the education seminar as speakers together, and the matching shirts were just a coincidence.
Prabowo arrived at the venue first and said: "There was no coordination in advance." After finishing his speech, Prabowo stepped down from the stage to greet Ganjar. The two politicians hugged and shook hands.
There have been reports that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo wanted to pair up Ganjar with Prabowo for the 2024 presidential election.
However, Prabowo also has a clear chance to become a presidential candidate himself, which could potentially lead to a face-off with Ganjar next year.
Both Ganjar and Prabowo are seeking support from Jokowi, who is an executive of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and is seen as a kingmaker in Indonesian politics.
While Ganjar believes Jokowi will eventually announce his chosen successor, the PDI-P has repeatedly stated that the president fully supports Ganjar.
"He has only one candidate to support. There's no way [Jokowi] will split his support for two candidates because eventually only one candidate will be elected," Ganjar said, stopping short of confidently saying that he is the president's pick.
"We must respect whatever decision Mr. Jokowi will make because he has his own political preference," Ganjar added.
On Friday, PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto said Jokowi has established the so-called Team 7 to support the party's presidential campaign.
The PDI-P formally announced Ganjar as their candidate for president in April.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/ganjar-prabowo-attend-event-togethe