Jakarta – Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) advisory board deputy chairperson and younger brother of Gerindra chairperson Prabowo Subianto, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, claims that he doesn’t have any problems with the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).
Djojohadikusumo says he is open to accepting support for his older brother in the 2019 presidential election from the group led by Rizieq Shihab.
“I’ll accept anyone who wants to support Prabowo”, Djojohadikusumo said during a discussion with CNN Indonesia at the Detik.com editorial office on Thursday October 4.
“It appears that the FPI also doesn’t have a problem with me. Just ask the FPI leadership, is there a problem with Hasyim or not? There isn’t. Clearly they support Prabowo right”, he added.
The statement by the Prabowo-Sandiaga Uno National Campaign Team Communications and Media Director was in response to a 2014 video in which he criticises the FPI and has recently gone viral on the internet.
In the 2014 video, he says that Prabowo and his party do not want the FPI to become part of the Red-and-White Coalition [the coalition of political parties that supported Prabowo’s failed 2014 presidential bid].
In the video, which was taken during an event at the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club, he says that the FPI is an intolerant group and Prabowo is not an extremist.
“I support [Prabowo being supported by the FPI]. Yes that video can be replayed until doomsday but it’s not a problem. That was in 2014, that’s politics right. I just want to win, perhaps I want to win even more than Prabowo”, he said.
Not just the FPI, Djojohadikusumo even said he would accept Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri if she would again support Prabowo.
“Before Ibu [Mrs] Mega supported Prabowo [when he was her vice presidential running mate in the 2004 presidential election], if today Ibu Mega wants to support Prabowo or tomorrow wants to support Prabowo I’ll accept that too. Why not?”, he said.
Aside from Megawati, Djojohadikusumo also cited the time when President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo abandoned Prabowo, who had supported and promoted him in the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election. According to Djojohadikusumo, despite Widodo’s behaviour, they would still accept the former Solo Mayor if he wants to support Prabowo.
“If Pak [Mr] Jokowi wants to support Prabowo, we will also support him. Before we supported him right. Ibu [mother, presumably referring to Megawati] knows what happened? We were abandoned”, continued the youngest of Prabowo’s siblings.
Djojohadikusumo doesn’t only support all of Gerindra’s important positions, he is also one of Prabowo principle financial backers. In the 2019 presidential election, Djojohadikusumo claims he will again sponsor Prabowo.
Djojohadikusumo himself is a business tycoon who has interests in investment banking, pulp and paper, plantations, oil and gas. In 2010, he was cited by Forbes Asia as one of the richest men in Indonesia. (kst/DAL)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was Adik Prabowo soal Dukungan FPI: Saya Mau Menang.]
