Edy Rahmayadi Strengthens as Candidate for Governor of North Sumatra from PDI-P, Jokowi's Photo Taken Down

Edy is ready to fight President Jokowi's son-in-law, Bobby Nasution, and warned against "playing with rice" and the Palace's intervention.

KOMPAS/NIKSON SINAGA

Edy Rahmayadi (second from the left) submitted his registration documents as a candidate for Governor of North Sumatra to the Chairman of the Regional Leadership Council of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) in North Sumatra, Rapidin Simbolon, in Medan, North Sumatra, on Monday (6/5/2024).

MEDAN, KOMPAS — Edy Rahmayadi has strengthened as a candidate for governor of North Sumatra from the PDI-P. Edy is ready to fight against President Joko Widodo's son-in-law, Bobby A Nasution, and warned against "playing with rice" and power intervention from the Palace. PDI-P warmly welcomes Edy's registration. The party also took down Jokowi's photo and was ready to fight Bobby.

The name of the former Governor of North Sumatra became stronger after registering as a candidate for governor at the North Sumatra PDI-P Office in Medan, Monday (6/5/2024). Different from other candidate registrations, PDI-P welcomed Edy by setting up a tent in the office yard. Almost all North Sumatra PDI-P administrators were present to welcome Edy.

Edy's registration documents were immediately received by the Chairman of the North Sumatra PDI-P DPD, Rapidin Simbolon. Edy and PDI-P expressed the same interests, namely fighting against Bobby, whose name has strengthened as a candidate for governor of North Sumatra from the Golkar Party. Another name that has strengthened is the former Deputy Governor of North Sumatra, Musa Rajekshah, who is fighting for a ticket from Golkar with Bobby.

"Everyone can aspire to be a leader. Whether it's Bobby, Musa, or anyone else. However, they must not violate the existing rules. If the rule is like this, then follow it accordingly. If bringing rice is not allowed, then don't bring rice. If intervention through power is not allowed, then don't do it," said Edy.

Edy reminded that there should be no interference from the Palace in the 2024 Pilkada. “This is a contestation to become governor. It's nothing to do with the Palace. Maybe it's Maimun Palace," said Edy.

Also read: Contest for Governor of North Sumatra, PDI-P Ready to Fight Bobby, Jokowi's Son-in-law

KOMPAS/NIKSON SINAGA

Edy Rahmayadi (third from the left) attended the submission of his candidacy documents as governor of North Sumatra to the Chairman of the PDI-P Regional Representative Council in North Sumatra, Rapidin Simbolon (third from the right) in Medan, North Sumatra, on Monday (6/5/2024).

The former Commander of the Army Strategic Reserve Command stated that he saw Bobby not because he is the President's son-in-law. He saw Bobby because he is a Nasution, a person from Medan, and has the right to participate in the contest to become a governor.

The nuance of resistance against Jokowi's political power was strongly felt during the governor candidate registration at the PDI-P office. In the Bung Karno hall, which served as the location for accepting registration files, there was only a photo of Vice President Ma’ruf Amin under the nation's emblem, Garuda Pancasila. Meanwhile, Jokowi's photo appeared to have already been taken down from the room's wall.

Looking for a winner alone, we can already see the facts and reality. What's difficult is finding a leader who is honest, responsible, and does not betray.

Edy also affirmed that it is impossible for him to be paired with Bobby or Musa. He joked that his height is far apart from Bobby or Musa, so it wouldn't be suitable for them to take a photo together.

"When taking photos, one (Musa) was too tall, while I was too short. So, it was less symmetrical, less suitable if taken in pairs. If with Bobby, he is also taller than me. It's difficult for me or impossible," said Edy.

Rapidin said that the North Sumatra PDI-P's relationship with Edy went well while Edy was Governor for the 2018-2023 period even though the party was not Edy's supporter. "If the decision is made by the DPP, led by General Chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri, Pak Edy, to become the candidate for governor of North Sumatra, frankly we will go all out. "We will mobilize all the party's strength to win Pak Edy," said Rapidin.

Rapidin stated that almost all PDI-P officials from North Sumatra were present to welcome Edy's registration. There was a shared inner feeling of wanting to find a leader who is not a traitor. "Finding a winner is something that we have already seen the facts and reality of. What is difficult is finding a leader who is honest, responsible, and not a traitor," said Rapidin.

Rapidin said that PDI-P was very open to Edy even though he was not a PDI-P cadre. In the history of the North Sumatra gubernatorial election, PDI-P is said to have nominated Major General (Ret.) Tri Tamtomo, who is not a cadre and was paired with a PDI-P cadre, namely Benny Pasaribu, in the 2008 North Sumatra gubernatorial election. The party also said it was open to all candidates, except Bobby, because he had been fired from the party. He is considered not to support the party since the 2024 presidential election.

PDI-P Secretary of North Sumatra, Sutarto, said that two people had registered as candidates for governor of North Sumatra with his party. Apart from Edy, there is also Nikson Nababan, former Regent of North Tapanuli and Chairman of the PDI-P in his area. When asked about the picture of Jokowi that was taken down from the hall, Sutarto lipped did not answer.

KOMPAS/NIKSON SINAGA

Medan's Mayor, Bobby A Nasution, and his wife, Kahiyang Ayu, exercised their voting rights in the 2024 General Elections in Medan, North Sumatra, on Wednesday (14/2/2024).

In recent times, the North Sumatra Regional Election has been heating up. PDI-P is one of the strongest factions, with an estimated 21 out of 100 seats in the North Sumatra Regional Council, which allows them to run independently because their seat acquisition exceeds 20 percent. Another strong faction is the Golkar Party, which has obtained 22 seats and will occupy the position of Chairperson of the North Sumatra Regional Council. Gerindra, with 13 seats, still needs to form a coalition.

Edy stated that it is unlikely for him to register with the Golcar or Gerindra coalition. Furthermore, the executive committees of the two parties openly announced closing the door because Edy became the Head of the Regional Campaign Team for Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar.

"If we have already decided on a standard, we don't need to waste our time," said Edy when asked about the possibility of joining Golkar and Gerindra. After leaving PDI-P, Edy is scheduled to register with the Nasdem Party, PKB, and PPP, the parties that support Anies-Muhaimin.

Also read: “Ticket War” for North Sumatra gubernatorial election heats up, Bobby and Musa fight over Golkar, PDI-P candidate has not yet appeared