1Berita – Several village heads from various associations claim to have received encouragement from President Joko Widodo regarding the 2024 elections at the State Palace.
The General Treasurer of the Association of Village Government Officials throughout Indonesia (Papdesi), Sujiono, stated that Jokowi wants the village heads to realize peaceful elections.
“The message from President Jokowi is for us, the attending village heads, to ensure that this election is truly free of fraud, peaceful, and smooth,” said Sujiono at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday (29/12).
The Secretary-General of the Papdesi Central Executive Board, Sentot Rudi, mentioned that the village heads met with Jokowi to discuss the revision of the Village Law. They conveyed the aspirations of the rural communities.
According to him, the meeting between the village heads and Jokowi did not focus on political discussions, especially concerning the victory of Jokowi’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
“None at all. There was no mention of politics at all,” he said.
Previously, Jokowi had communicated with village heads several times before the elections. On Tuesday (7/11), Jokowi invited several village heads to the palace.
One village head, Surta Wijaya, mentioned that there was no political discussion. He claimed to have only conveyed aspirations regarding the revision of the Village Law.
However, Surta Wijaya and others held a National Unity Gathering of United Villages in Indonesia Arena, Jakarta, 12 days later. The event was attended by Gibran Rakabuming Raka. The organizers only invited Gibran Rakabuming Raka and key figures of the Coalition of the Indonesian Future Party.
The National Coordinator of the Association of Village Governments throughout Indonesia (APDESI), Muhammad Asri Annas, stated that the Prabowo-Gibran pair is considered to care about villages.
“These points seem to be responded to a bit by Mr. Prabowo and Mas Gibran. For us, we don’t care too much about the promises of presidential candidates; we are more concerned about who cares about the villages,” said Anas.
