15,000 Ritired Military, Police Officers Back Prabowo-Hatta Pair

Gorontalo (Antara) - Some 15 thousand retired military and police officers expressed their support for the Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa presidential and vice presidential pair in the July 9 presidential poll. "I support Prabowo, because I know his character and behavior while we studied at the military academy. Prabowo and I are of the same generation, so I know his behavior. There are 15 thousand retired servicemen in Gorontalo," chief of the Prabowo-Hatta pair's campaign team for retired servicemen Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Mohtar Darise said on Monday evening. He said Indonesia needed a firm and consistent leader, such as Prabowo. Therefore, retired military and police officers and their families in Gorontalo province will vote for the Prabowo-Hatta pair. Meanwhile, chief of the Prabowo-Hatta pair's campaign team in Gorontalo Rusli Habibie expressed optimism that the Prabowo-Hatta pair would win 80 percent of the votes in the province. The retired military and police officers declared their support for the Prabowo-Hatta pair in Limboto sub-district, Gorontalo district. The July 9 presidential election will be contested by Prabowo Subianto who pairs with Hatta Rajasa and Joko Widodo with Jusuf Kalla as his running mate. Prabowo is a former military figure, while Hatta is a former chief economic minister. Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, is currently the Jakarta governor, while Jusuf Kalla is a former vice president. (*) Reporting by Debby Hariyanti Mano