Pretty Political Ploys of 2024

Various political surprises are sure to occur ahead of the 2024 elections. It is like a game of chess where political players have strategies and make their moves.

KOMPAS

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, Wednesday (18/1/2023), officially joined the Golkar Party which did not support him in the 2018 Regional Head Elections..

One of the latest political maneuvers we have witnessed is West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil joining the Golkar Party. In this game of chess, every move, whether forward or backward, is made on a number of considerations. Once this move is made, questions arise. This move is to protect, defend, attack or even to kill. Will this move lead to victory faster? Or, instead of killing your opponent, will this wrong move sabotage yourself?

Chess players need peace of mind and the ability to read their opponent’s mind. A precise strategy was taken, and it did so well that the opponent found it difficult to read. What is Emil’s true purpose in joining Golkar?

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What is Golkar chairman Airlangga Hartarto’s purpose in accepting him as a member? There have been various speculations. What is certain is that the move is related to two major political events. On 14 February 2024, there will be a presidential and legislative election. On 27 November 2024, the regional elections will be held.

As has been seen before in every election, many popular figures join political parties to obtain a political vehicle. Political parties also simultaneously scramble to recruit popular figures to help gain votes, which sets a symbiotic relationship between figures and political parties.

KOMPAS/NINO CITRA ANUGRAHANTO

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo (left) and West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil (right) walked together before attending the Y20 talk show, at Mangkunegaran Temple, Surakarta City, Central Java, Friday (28/10/2022) evening.

However, this explanation for Emil joining Golkar is overly simplistic. Emil is a figure whose electability continues to increase as a presidential and vice-presidential candidate. Meanwhile, Golkar’s 2019 congress gave a mandate to Airlangga as chairman to run for president in 2024.

To the public, Golkar conveyed that Emil would fight for Airlangga as a presidential candidate and help the party gain votes in the 2024 legislative elections. However, would Golkar, a seasoned party, really implement such a simple strategy?

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Is it possible that Golkar is actually getting ready to nominate a vice president for the race, apart from just a president? Only Airlangga and Emil know. Will this step be a calculated one that will benefit both Golkar and Emil, or will it cause harm for them in the end? Only time will tell.

As the people, we can only hope that any moves that have been and will be made by politicians and political parties are aimed at making this country more prosperous, and not just as a strategy to win a power struggle.

“Politics is not a game. It is an earnest business,” said Winston Churchill, a British statesman who was also a Nobel Prize laureate in literature.

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.