Yerica Lai, Jakarta – A Hanura Party executive has expressed his sorrow at the news that the party founder Wiranto will join the National Mandate Party (PAN) after a years-long rift between the party's patron and the current leadership.
Inas Nasrullah Zubir, chairman of Hanura's central executive board, said that Wiranto's choice to depart the party and join PAN was "a choice that must be respected by everyone" and that every Indonesian, including Wiranto, had the right to make their political choice.
"It was extraordinary luck for the National Mandate Party that Pak Wiranto would drop his anchor in the party led by Zulkifli Hasan. [Wiranto's presence] will add to the party's political strength," Inas said on Thursday.
Inas, who had blamed Wiranto for the party's poor showing in the last election, recalled Wiranto as a huge figure who had contributed greatly to the party.
"As a member of the Hanura Party who was nurtured by Pak Wiranto, one certainly would feel the loss of a major figure who has contributed to the founding of the Hanura Party and gave birth to many councilors across the districts, cities and provinces and at a national level," Inas said.
"If it wasn't because of him, maybe I myself would never have sat in the legislature back then," he added.
Wiranto, a former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander, formed Hanura with several retired Army generals after he failed to win the 2004 presidential election. The party secured House of Representatives seats during both the 2009 and 2014 legislative elections but fell short in the 2019 elections.
Hanura's loss at the time led to finger-pointing between Wiranto and Hanura chairman Oesman Sapta Odang.
Political analysts have cited the rift as one of the reasons behind Hanura's failure in the 2019 election since the party's leaders had been more focused on settling the internal conflict instead of focusing on securing more support from the public.
After the 2019 elections, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo appointed Wiranto to lead the presidential advisory board (Wantimpres) after Oesman declined the position when he was offered it and said that the role would require him to give up his chairmanship and he would rather continue to manage his party.
PAN, which joined the ruling coalition in 2021, is set to hold a national working meeting on Feb. 26 in Semarang, Central Java, to discuss its electoral strategy to contest the 2024 general elections.
The event, senior PAN member Yandri Susanto said, would be opened by Jokowi.