Jakarta, NU Online
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra)  Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto visited the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) headquarters, Jl. Jalan Kramat Raya 164, Jakarta, on Tuesday (17/12). He asserted that his visit was to hold  consultations with the Indonesia's largest Muslim organization about the future vision of the nation.<>

"It's become a tradition for Gerindra party to hold consultations with the mass organizations, including NU. Moreover, a number of NU ideas related to the nation's problems have really inspired us," he said.

Prabowo accompanied by General Chairman of Gerindra party Suhardi and his deputy, Fadli Zon, was warmly welcomed the General Chairman of NU KH Said Aqil Siradj (Kang Said) and Secretary General of NU KH Marsudi Syuhud. 

According to Kang Said, his meeting with the presidential hopeful was much more relaxed and not to do with matters about practical politics.

When asked about support for Prabowo to run for president in the 2014 elections, Kang Said said," What I have so far heard from Nahdliyin (NU followers), they will support a firm,  pro-farmers, fishermen, and clean leader. Whoever he is." But he denied giving special support for Prabowo.

Prabowo on the occasion praised NU for being able to bring important ideas related to crucial issues in this country. He did appreciate the NU's suggestions to the Indonesian government to end its membership in the WTO for being considered detrimental to the farmers and the fishermen. 

"I think NU is the only organization doing this," he said.

Meanwhile, speaking at a public lecture organized by the Soegeng Sarjadi Syndicate (SSS) last year, Prabowo highlighted the fact that the current form of democracy in Indonesia suffered a lack of firm leadership.

“[We have] no compass ... Indonesia is at a crossroads where a group of Kurawa [evil kingdom] aims at hijacking our idea of democracy. What is at stake now ... is a struggle for power between the Kurawa and the Pandawa [good kingdom],” Prabowo said, alluding to the popular Mahabarata epic.

Prabowo advocates that this is the time to start a groundswell for a movement.

“The current situation will continue if the good guys remain silent. We do have good guys, they are everywhere not only in Gerindra,” he said to roaring applause from the audience.

Prabowo, who is also a former commander of the Army’s elite Special Forces Command (Kopassus), said that Indonesia was not experiencing the ideal form of democracy as the country’s political scene was dominated by money politics.

“When I speak to them about my mission and vision for the country, they [uneducated voters] do not care about it. They just ask how much money I will give them,” Prabowo said.

“You will not understand politics in Indonesia until you learn about serangan fajar [dawn attack],” Prabowo said, referring to the practice of vote-buying just hours before balloting take place.

In his presentation, Prabowo also underlined several problems that the country would have to deal with in the near future, such as a population explosion, uncontrollable regional expansion and an energy crisis.

Prabowo wrapped up his speech by calling on fellow countrymen to cast political candidates in a positive light.

University of Indonesia political communication analyst Effendi Ghazali said that Prabowo could win over Indonesian voters, who long for a strong and decisive leader.

“A firm leader will strengthen a good system, which will eventually lead to a kind of standard of democracy that Indonesia aims to achieve,” he said.

Reporting by Mahbib Khoiron; Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq