Jakarta – Vice presidential candidate and Surakarta mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka said he was not disturbed by the presence of a banner rejecting him with the message "#SoloBukanGibran" (Solo is not Gibran), which was seen on Jl. Setiabudi in Surakarta, Central Java.
Surakarta, also known as Solo, is the hometown of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo where he raised his own family, including his eldest son Gibran, and ran his business before starting his political career as the city's mayor.
The city is also known as the stronghold of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the party that has supported Jokowi's political journey until his present second term in office.
The banner, in an apparent rejection of Gibran, had been displayed for several days before being taken down. "That's fine by me," Gibran said on Wednesday, as quoted by Antara News.
Gibran, who runs with presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, still expressed optimism about securing a significant number of votes from Surakarta in the upcoming elections. "Just be optimistic. Thank you," Gibran briefly remarked.
The chant "Solo Bukan Gibran" was also echoed by supporters of the PDI-P in the city on Dec. 4, when PDI-P presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo was present.
Prabowo also responded to the chant after a gathering with community leaders in Aceh on Monday. "Never mind. We should engage in democracy with grace and calmness. Take it easy; everything is fine," said Prabowo, as quoted by tempo.co.
Former Surakarta mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo said he was unaware of the banner's installation. As the chairman of the Surakarta branch of the PDI-P, Hadi acknowledged that various materials for campaign activities, including during Ganjar's events, were under his authority.
However, he denied his party's involvement in creating the #SoloBukanGibran banner. "I don't know, I never put anything like that up. Why would I bother doing that?" said Hadi.
He said he preferred to focus on promoting the flagship programs of the Ganjar-Mahfud MD ticket.
"We do make flags and billboards here. The billboards are for the Ganjar-Mahfud presidential candidate. But I have never made [the banner]. I don't know who made it," said Hadi.