Jakarta – Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI) president Said Iqbal says that the KSPI will declare its support for Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) chairperson Prabowo Subianto as candidate for the 2019 presidential election.
The union plans to publically declare this support at the commemoration of May Day on May 1.
“On International Labour Day, the whole world will witness all Indonesian workers declaring [their support] for Bapak Prabowo Subianto as the candidate which will be backed in the 2019 presidential election”, Iqbal was quoted as saying by the Antara state news agency during a nationalist seminar titled Ending the Corporate Greed – Toward a Prosperous Country, which was held by KSPI at the Struggle 45 Building in Central Jakarta on Sunday April 29.
KSPI wants the next president to fulfill a number of demands, including among others, decent wages, an end to outsourcing and the repatriation of foreign workers from China.
Prabowo meanwhile has praised the support coming from workers. “You have decided to give me your trust to step forward as a presidential candidate for the Republic of Indonesia in 2019. For me, receiving the trust of labour groups is a huge honor”, said Prabowo.
“This support is very important. This will give me strength in my life’s struggle”, he added.
Prabowo said that whoever becomes the leader of Indonesia in the future will have the task of protecting the entire Indonesian people. “The Indonesian people must be safe and cannot be allowed to worry about the future, worry about jobs, and having a decent life”, he said.
According to Prabowo, the Indonesian state which was desired by Indonesia’s founders was a country of prosperity, not a country of conglomerates.
Thus all Indonesian citizens must have a decent and prosperous life, something which is not just enjoyed by a specific group or a handful of people. “I will fight for the interests of the ordinary people and the Indonesian nation”, he said.
Notes
Said Iqbal and KSPI, who supported former Special Forces (Kopassus) commander retired General Prabowo Subianto’s failed 2014 presidential bid, also backed the Prabowo backed Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno ticket in the religiously and ethnically divisive 2017 Jakarta elections. This included taking part in protests by hard-line Islamic forces seeking to oust incumbent Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama – and ethnic Chinese Christian – who lost the election to Baswedan and was subsequently jailed on trumped up blasphemy charges.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was ‘May Day’, KSPI Akan Deklarasi Dukung Prabowo Maju Pilpres 2019.]
