Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Great Indonesia Movement Party on Friday added another political party to its alliance, proceeding with its plan of merging with 10 smaller parties as part of a bid to win at least 13 percent of the total national votes in the 2014 election.
In a ceremony held at the Hotel Sahid Jakarta, the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) signed the merger agreement with the Reform Star Party (PBR), which will become a subsidiary organization under Gerindra's wing.
The merger agreement was signed by PBR general chairman Bursah Zarnubi, Gerindra general chairman Suhardi and its advisory board chairman Prabowo Subianto.
Prabowo said he was optimistic about Gerindra's ability to marshal smaller parties to work toward common goals. "To face the 2014 election, PBR will join Gerindra. PBR will become a mass organization, a wing organization of ours called the Farmer and Labor Reform Organization," Prabowo said.
Under the merger, Bursah and two other PBR officials would be appointed to Gerindra's advisory board.
According to Prabowo, PBR is the seventh political party to join Gerindra so far. Six other parties have already signed similar agreements with Gerindra, including the Indonesian United Ummah Party (PPNUI), the Indonesian National Party of Marhaenisme (PNI Marhaenisme), the Labor Party and the Indonesian Socialist Party (PSI).
Gerindra is courting four other parties, including the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) and the Indonesian Workers and Employers Party (PPPI).
In his speech on Friday, Prabowo expressed confidence that once completed, the planned mergers would win Gerindra around 13 percent of the total national votes In the 2009 election, Gerindra garnered just 4.46 percent of the total national votes.
The seven mergers so far have swelled Gerindra's ranks and Prabowo said the party boasted more than 1,400 legislators now at the local and national level.
Bursah said his party was cooperating with Gerindra in the hopes of providing a realistic alternative for voters.
"We decided to join Gerindra because we trust Prabowo as an alternative national leader for Indonesia," Bursah said. He added that PBR saw many similarities between Prabowo and the first president, Sukarno.
"I hope all PBR members throughout the country will follow this decision. No one is allowed to be out of the party's [decision]. Now we are a part of Gerindra," he said.
PBR had previously tried to merge with the Golkar Party, the second-largest political party in the country and part of the government coalition. Bursah declined to say why the agreement with Golkar failed to materialize.
Priyo Budi Santoso, Golkar's senior official for political relations affairs, congratulated Gerindra on merging with PBR. Priyo said that all political parties had the right to strengthen their organizations in preparation for the 2014 election.
"The next election will be tougher than the previous one as the parliamentary threshold will likely be increased," he said.
Some of the larger parties are proposing an amendment to the election law that would double the legislative threshold to 5 percent. The threshold is the minimum percent of votes a party must receive in legislative elections in order to win seats in the House of Representatives.