Jakarta. Golkar Party Chairman Airlangga Hartarto visited his Democratic Party counterpart Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono on Saturday night to explore possible collaboration ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Golkar is part of the United Indonesia Coalition (KIB) which is becoming increasingly shaky after the United Development Party, or PPP, emerged so early to announce support for Ganjar Pranowo, a presidential candidate from the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Airlangga, himself a potential candidate, needs to rebuild a strong foundation due to the prospect of the three-party coalition coming to a premature end, even if he has to approach an unlikely ally in the Democratic Party.

If another KIB member the National Mandate Party (PAN) also throws its weight behind Ganjar, Airlangga’s presidential aspiration will become history.

During the joint conference with Agus, Airlangga admitted major differences between his Golkar Party and the Democrats.

"Both parties are on different sides of the aisle: Golkar Party is in the same group with the government while the Democratic Party is currently in the opposing camp. Golkar is part of the KIB while the Democratic Party has joined the Coalition of Change," Airlangga said after the meeting in Cikeas, Bogor.

"But I must say that Golkar Party will continue to hold meetings and dialogues with other parties because it’s very important for Indonesia that all parties remain cool so that we embrace elections not with tense but with happiness," he said.

Airlangga, who is also the chief economic minister in the cabinet, said he shared the idea with Agus that the elections in Indonesia aren’t a winner-take-all competition.

Agus said his party is open to future collaborations with Golkar.

"Allow me to quote Mr. Airlangga’s remarks in our meeting just now: ‘Politics is the art of possibilities’,” Agus said.

“If I was asked whether [Golkar] can join forces with us, my answer is 'everything is possible'.”

Agus added that during the presidency of his father, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Golkar is part of the pro-government coalition.

There are currently three coalitions for next year’s presidential election namely the KIB (comprising Golkar, PPP, and PAN), the Coalition of Change (the Democratic Party, the National Democratic Party or Nasdem, and the Prosperous Justice Party or PKS), and the Great Indonesia Awakening Coalition (the Great Indonesia Movement Party or Gerindra and the National Awakening Party or PKB).

The PDI-P has yet to form a coalition and it doesn’t need one because it has enough seats in the House of Representatives to nominate a candidate on its own.

Four potential candidates have emerged, including:
1.    Ganjar Pranowo, nominated by PDI-P and PPP,
2.    Anies Baswedan, nominated by Nasdem,
3.    Prabowo Subianto, nominated by Gerindra,
4.    Airlangga Hartarto, nominated by Golkar.

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