PKS to Become Opposition if Jokowi Elected President

Jakarta (Antara) - The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) will become an opposition party if Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP)'s presidential candidate Joko Widodo is elected as president in the election, its deputy secretary general Fachri Hamzah said. Fachri further compared the outlook for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) to that of Jokowi, as the current Jakarta governor is popularly called. "SBY is far better than Jokowi in terms of intellect and national outlook," he said here on Monday. Meanwhile, Hendri Satrio, a political communication observer at the Paramadina University, said President Yudhoyono is a great leader who is equal to his predecessors. "SBY was able to bring Indonesia to the right track, irrespective of his weaknesses and shortcomings," Hendri noted. He predicted that Jokowi, who took office one and a half years ago, would become a great leader sometime in the future if he proved himself to be a good governor of Jakarta. "It is too early for Jokowi to run for the president," he said. Asked to comment on PKS' stand, Hendri said the Islam-based party should form a coalition with other parties in the presidential election. Chief of the PDIP's central executive board Puan Maharani announced Jokowi's candidacy for the presidency at the office of the party's central executive board here on March 14. Puan remarked that PDIP's Chief Megawati Soekarnoputri had decided to nominate Jokowi for the presidency in accordance with the party's articles of association and the result of the party's congress held in Bali in 2010. (*) Reporting by Taufik Ridwan