Tjahjo Signals Jokowi, JK to Campaign Separately

Jakarta (Antara) - The secretary general of the Indonesia Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP), Tjahjo Kumolo, has signaled that Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Jusuf Kalla (JK) will campaign separately to maximize the use of campaign time. "Later, JK will use his own private airplane, while Jokowi may borrow an aircraft from the National Democrat Party (Nasdem)," he said on the sideline of a coordination meeting of Jokowi-JK success teams at the Nasdem headquarters here on Wednesday. He said they will campaign separately with an aim of reaching the whole country as the campaign time is short. "We will later determine where Jokowi and JK will campaign," he added. The chief of the success team of Nasdem, Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, meanwhile, said the meeting had agreed to the distribution of tasks to be carried out to win the election scheduled on July 9. "We agreed just now on what we should do, how logistics will be distributed, and how media coverage and travels of the presidential and vice presidential candidates will be arranged. In short, we have discussed means to support programs to achieve a success," he said. Ferry said all the four parties that support Jokowi-JK, PDIP, Nasdem, the Nation Awakening Party (PKB) and the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), will send a number of representatives to cooperatively ensure the victory of the presidential duo. "Each party may send for example 50 people for the joint success team. All parties will be given an equal opportunity. A team will not only be set up in Jakarta, but also in other regions," he added. He said the joint team will receive directives from Muahimin Iskandar, the general chairman of PKB, and Wiranto, the general chairman of Hanura. "Perhaps we will gather again on Friday to hear their directives," he said. Jokowi, who is currently Jakarta governor, and JK, a former vice president, will compete against Prabowo Subianto from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and Hatta Rajasa, the general chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), in the election on July 9. (*) Reporting by Rangga Pandu Asmara Jingga