Icha Rastika, Jakarta – University of Melbourne Asia Institute Social Science Director Vedi R Hadiz says there is no guarantee that presidential candidate Number 2, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, can be controlled by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo if he is indeed elected as president in the 2024 elections.
This is despite the fact that his vice presidential running mate, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is Widodo's eldest son.
"If in a scenario the Prabowo-Gibran [ticket] wins, will Prabowo be willing to have his government controlled from behind by Jokowi through his son?", asked Hadiz during a Rosi talk show program on Kompas TV on Friday November 17.
According to Hadiz, Prabowo has his own interests and a different network from Widodo.
"It means that it's not as linier as that, because if that's the scenario that pans out, in my opinion there will be tensions in the second and third episodes that follow. Who then will control the government? And each has their own network", he said.
Prabowo could also minimalise Rakabuming's influence in the administration if he is elected. Rakabuming's position as vice president (wapres), said Hadiz, may only have an impact in the long-term as political capital in the 2029 elections.
"I think in the long-term there is, he'll be the vice president right, after being vice president what will he be in the next five years. There's a good possibility if Prabowo can't be controlled, his vice president will have enough of a reputation to be a presidential candidate in 2029 and the political dynasty will be safe", he said.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Pengamat: Tak Ada Jaminan Prabowo Bisa Dikendalikan Jokowi jika Menang Pilpres 2024".]
