Solo. Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka stated that he had no issue with rival presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo's decision not to join the upcoming administration of President-elect Prabowo Subianto.

"It's okay, no problem. We still seek his guidance from the outside," he told reporters at Solo City Hall, Central Java, on Tuesday.

The eldest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo also mentioned that Ganjar's decision to stay out of the Prabowo-Gibran government aligns with his party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). It's noteworthy that Gibran himself hails from PDI-P but was later chosen by Prabowo as his running mate.

The departure of the president's family from the PDI-P has caused some tension between Jokowi's family and Megawati Soekarno Putri, who endorsed Ganjar in the 2024 Presidential Election.

Gibran emphasized that even if Ganjar and the PDI-P do not join his administration, their input will still be valued.

"Oh yes, of course, it's usually like that (the party's stance aligns with the candidate it supports). It's okay, whoever it is, input from within the coalition, from the outside, or the opposition, will still be welcomed. No problem," he affirmed.

Gibran highlighted that he and Prabowo would continue to try to embrace all parties and figures. Therefore, Prabowo-Gibran would maintain communication with all parties, including the PDI-P.

"Once again, at the direction of the elected president, everyone will be embraced. Dialog and communication will still be maintained with all parties," said Gibran.

However, when asked if this embracing meant including the PDI-P in the Prabowo-Gibran cabinet, Gibran said that it would depend on the future situation.

"We'll see later (if PDI-P joins the cabinet). He (Prabowo) immediately greeted guests from outside the coalition after he was declared the winner of the 2024 Presidential Election. The point is to maintain communication. Keep in touch with other parties. As for the composition of the cabinet and others, that's for later. There is still plenty of time, and the decision lies with the elected president," he said.

Previously, Ganjar Pranowo declared his intention to become part of the opposition at a PDI-P gathering event in Central Jakarta on Monday.

"I declare, I will not join the government, but I respect this government very much, and we will exercise control properly," said Ganjar.

Echoing Ganjar, his vice presidential candidate, Mahfud MD, also stated that he would continue his struggle by returning to teach at the university.

Poltracking Indonesia Research Director Arya Budi encouraged Prabowo and Gibran to form an effective coalition. According to Arya, with an effective coalition concept, Prabowo-Gibran no longer needs to attract the PDI-P and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) to join the government.

According to Arya, Prabowo-Gibran only needs one more political party outside his coalition, the Koalisi Indonesia Maju (KIM), to form an effective coalition. The reason is that the number of seats from the four KIM parties, namely The Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra), Golkar Party, Democratic Party, and the National Mandate Party, is close to 50 percent.

"The National Democratic Party has explicitly stated their intention to join the coalition, and the National Awakening Party is getting closer. So, Prabowo's need to embrace or add another party is actually unnecessary," Arya explained.

Furthermore, Arya said, as a democratic country, there should ideally be an opposition bloc in the House of Representatives to criticize the programs and policies of the Prabowo-Gibran government. Regarding this matter, he said, the PDI-P and PKS should remain outside the government, even though the situation has not yet fully resolved.

"Both parties are not well consolidated, they are not 'listening to the same tune'. Ideologically, the PDI-P and PKS are very distant, they are opposed ideologically. So, if the PDI-P and PKS are outside (the government), both of them might work with their own reasoning," Arya concluded.

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