Jakarta, NU Online
General Chairman of the countrys largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Said Agil Siradj has personally pledged his support to Gerindras presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.<>

"NU followers are free to make their own choices regarding presidential candidates, but I personally support Prabowo," noted Said Agil Siradj in a written statement here on Thursday.

He asserted that retired Lt. Gen. Prabowo has the courage and firm outlook and is a respectable candidate, thus he has the required qualities to advance and develop Indonesia into a better nation.

"Prabowo is a leader who is firm and cares for the masses, such as farmers, fishermen, and so on," he emphasized.

Indonesia must not only be sovereign geographically but also in the economic, political, and cultural fields, he remarked.

"It should not happen that Indonesia is dominated by foreign investors. Therefore, Indonesia needs a bold leader so that it will be sovereign economically," the NU chairman stated.

He pointed out that whoever is elected president later on should be selective and efficient in spending the state budget.

"The state budget should be used for the interest of the people, and the presidential election should run peacefully because it is part of the democratic process," Siradj added.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq