Kurniawan Fadilah, Jakarta – The Labour Party has officially declared its support for the Ridwan Kamil-Suswono (RIDO) electoral ticket in the Jakarta gubernatorial elections (Pilgub). Kamil personally attended the declaration in Jakarta on Friday October 11.
"There are two important events that made me feel as one with Pak [Mr] Ridwan Kamil. First, when the stipulations regarding the minimum wage, there was no increase in West Java, because of the Omnibus Law on Job Creation. Pak Ridwan Kamil with his courage and good faith, his good faith, I witnessed this. Because I continued monitoring it at that time, the Pak Father of West Java, he wanted to give birth to a minimum wage above one year", Iqbal said during the declaration at the Indonesian National Youth Committee (KNPI) building in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, on Friday.
The second reason conveyed by Iqbal is that Kamil also met with labour protesters during a demonstration opposing the Law Omnibus in 2020. At that time, he said, Kamil as the West Java Governor was willing to convey the aspirations of workers to the central government.
"A governor with courage, together with the West Java military commander and regional police chief, who climbed onto the command vehicle, declared along with workers and fellow students, that he would convey their aspirations at that time, I witnessed this also, declared the aspiration of opposing the Omnibus Law as governor, he would convey this to the central government", said Iqbal.
"If there is a governor whose heart and mind and actions are located with the hearts of the ordinary people, especially workers, there is no other reason, unless we choose who? RIDO. Two important events with courage, conscience, and all the risks he took as a leader", he continued.
The declaration of support was officially conveyed by the chairperson of the Jakarta Labour Party Executive Committee (Exco) and chairperson of the Jakarta Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) regional representative Winarso.
Winarso said the Labour Party's decision to support the RIDO electoral ticket was in accordance with the aspirations of all cadres.
"Today we gather not just for the sake of gathering, but this is a form of democracy built by the Labour Party, where the aspirations of all comrades have been discussed by the central Exco or national Exco," Winarso said.
"Finally today it is realised that we declare our support for the candidates for governor and deputy governor, Bapak [Mr] Haji Mochamad Ridwan Kamil and Bapak Suswono", he added.
Notes
The Jakarta gubernatorial ticket of former West Java governor Ridwan Kamil and former Agricultural Minister and leading Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) member Suswono is backed by a coalition cobbled together by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and president-elect Prabowo Subianto to block the re-election of former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan. Known as the Onward Indonesia Coalition Plus (KIM plus), it consists of all the political parties in the Jakarta regional parliament except the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) including Prabowo's Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), the Democrat Party, the National Awakening Party (PAN), the Star Cresent Party (PBB), the Indonesian People's Wave Party (Gelora), the Indonesian Reform Movement Party (Garuda), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the PKS, the National Democrats (NasDem), the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) and the Prima Party (the PRD's electoral vehicle).
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Partai Buruh Resmi Dukung RK-Suswono di Pilgub Jakarta, Ini Alasannya".]
