0 Golkar, Democratic Party to support Pastika

As the registration period for candidates nominated by political parties for the post of Bali governor will be open from Jan. 31 until Feb. 6 next year, the Golkar Party and the Democratic Party felt confident to announce Made Mangku Pastika as their candidate for the post. The support from the two parties was expected by the public, as the incumbent, Pastika, has become the most-awaited guest at the parties’ many events and gatherings. On Thursday afternoon, governor Pastika was seen enthusiastically attending a Ngenteg Linggih religious ceremony at a shrine at Golkar’s Bali headquarters in Denpasar. 

Despite his silence over his choice of political vehicle for the coming gubernatorial election in May, Pastika has often been seen gathering with the Golkar Party’s leaders and regents. During the 2008 gubernatorial election, Pastika obtained full support from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). Some leading figures of the Golkar Party attended Thursday’s ceremony, including the deputy secretary-general of Golkar’s Jakarta office, Gede Sumarjaya Linggih; the chairman of Golkar’s Bali office, Ketut Sudikerta; and several regents endorsed by Golkar such as Badung Regent Anak Agung Gde Agung, Gianyar Regent Cokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati and Karangasem Regent Wayan Geredeg. 

The chairman of Bali’s Democratic Party office, Made Mudarta, also attended the ceremony. Pastika, however, was trying to deny his closeness to the two parties’ figures, stating his attendance was not a positive signal to gain endorsement from both parties. “I am here as the governor. They invited me, so I am here, as are other officials from the Bali Police and the military district command,” Pastika tried to explain in vain. “All people in Bali must have a harmonious relation with each other,” said Pastika diplomatically. Pastika stressed that he had not yet decided which party he would use to back his reelection bid. “We’ll see later. I am ready to be endorsed by any party. We’ll see,” the retired three-star police general said. 

Previously, Pastika had said that he still paid respect to PDI-P as the only political party that had endorsed him in the 2008 gubernatorial election. “As of now, I am still a governor from PDI-P,” Pastika said. Until today, PDI-P had not yet endorsed a candidate in the gubernatorial race. Speculation on who will be PDI-P’s candidate is heating up. Current speculation has it that Ratmadi’s own brother, AAN Puspayoga, the current deputy governor, would be the most likely candidate from PDI-P. Another rumor revealed that PDI-P would still support the incumbent duo — Pastika and Puspayoga, for the 2013 election. 

However, the personal relationship between the two high-ranking officials has soured over the last few months. Pastika and Puspayoga won the 2008 gubernatorial election by a landslide after securing the endorsement of PDI-P, the island’s largest political party. The rift between them erupted after Puspa-yoga, a seasoned PDI-P politician, who apparently harbors ambitions to be the island’s No. 1, forged an alliance with Satria Naradha

source : bali daily