Ichsan Ali, Karawang – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Wednesday denied reports that he had asked political parties to nominate his youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, as a gubernatorial candidate.
His remarks were a response to an earlier claim by Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) Secretary-General Aboe Bakar Al Habsyi that he had approached the party to nominate Kaesang as a candidate in the Jakarta gubernatorial election.
PKS has been a staunch critic of the Jokowi government and has played an opposition role for the past decade. The Muslim-based party supports former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan for his reelection in the November 27 polls.
"I have never proposed [Kaesang] to anybody. You may ask those political parties," the president said during a visit to the Karawang New Industrial City in West Java.
"I'm not a party leader, nor am I an owner, so don't ask me questions [about the gubernatorial election]," Jokowi added.
Jokowi's allies have disputed Aboe's claim and even questioned whether the PKS politician had met with the president in person recently.
Kaesang also criticized Aboe for "spreading lies" and resorting to a smear campaign ahead of the regional leader elections across the country.