GAM Former Combatant Party Loyally Supports Prabowo

The Aceh Party has publicly stated its support for Prabowo Subianto. This support repeated the political choices for the 2019 presidential election. At that time the Aceh Party also supported the former TNI military.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Partai Eks Kombatan GAM Setia Dukung Prabowo

ZULKARNAINI/KOMPAS

The legislative candidates, officials, and cadres from the Aceh Party convoyed to the office of the Aceh Independent Election Commission (KIP) / Aceh Provincial Election Commission (KPU) on Thursday (11/5/2023) to register as prospective members of the Aceh Regional Representative Council.

BANDA ACEH, KOMPAS - Aceh Party, a local party in Aceh Province formed by former combatants of the Free Aceh Movement, declared their support for Prabowo Subianto as presidential candidate. Prabowo is seen to have a strong commitment to realizing all peace agreement points and the opportunity to extend special autonomy funds.

Partai Aceh spokesperson, Nurzahri, who was contacted on Monday (7/8/2023), stated that Partai Aceh has strong reasons why they should support Prabowo in the 2024 Presidential Election. "Prabowo and Mualem (Muzakir Manaf), Chairman of Partai Aceh, are good friends. They frequently discuss Aceh," said Nurzahri.

The Aceh Party has openly declared its support for Prabowo Subianto to the public. This support repeats their political choice in the 2019 Presidential Election, where the Aceh Party also supported the former Commander of the Army's Strategic Reserve Command.

Also read: The 2024 Election Will Be a Hard Test for Local Political Parties in Aceh

In the 2019 Presidential Election, in Aceh Province, Prabowo, who was partnered with Sandiaga Uno, won the most votes, namely 84 percent. However, the presidential election was won by Joko Widodo-Ma'ruf Amin.

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

Aceh Party spokesperson, Nurzahri.

Nurzahri stated that political communication between the Aceh Party and Gerindra as well as with Prabowo individually has been established since 2019 and is still well-maintained until now. The long-standing relationship is an important asset to support Prabowo again.

"In several meetings with Prabowo and Gerindra figures, they have committed to realizing all points of the peace agreement in Aceh, including the possibility of extending special autonomy funds," said Nurzahri.

Also read: Prabowo: Everything Has Its Time

As known, the special autonomy fund transfer from the central government to Aceh Province will end in 2027. Parties in Aceh hope that the elected President in the future will be willing to extend the special autonomy fund. Politically, if the candidate chosen by Aceh residents wins, it will be easier to demand such commitment.

"They commit to realizing all points of the Aceh peace agreement, including the possibility of extending special autonomy funds." (Nurzahri)

Nurzahri stated that all party cadres and structures will be mobilized to support Prabowo. Although Prabowo has a military background and has a history with the Aceh conflict, Nurzahri is optimistic that Prabowo has been well received by the Aceh community.

KOMPAS/NIKSON SINAGA

Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto discussed with former Aceh Vice Governor Muzakir Manaf at the "Gathering and Hospitality with Entrepreneurs and Chinese Residents in North Sumatra" event at Selecta Building, Medan, North Sumatra, on Friday (22/2/2019) night.

"Today we see a peaceful and constructive atmosphere in Aceh. When the Aceh Party supports these ex-military personnel, it shows that the conflict has been resolved," said Nurzahri."

Faculty member of Political Communication Science at Malikussaleh University in Lhokseumawe, Masriadi Sambo, stated that Aceh Party's decision to support Prabowo Subianto again in the upcoming presidential election is the right move.

"On one side the Aceh Party has shown loyalty in politics, where the previous presidential election also supported Prabowo. On the other hand, it seems that the Aceh Party has also read the direction of the national media's trending, Jokowi is showing signs of supporting Prabowo," said Masriadi.

As parties with command characteristics, Aceh Party and Gerindra have the same political style. “The political ties between Aceh Party and Gerindra have been built for years. The political commitment of the two is still on the track," he said.

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