We, in the PKS, believe that being outside the cabinet, being the opposition, and not inside the (government's) coalition, is in fact to save democracy.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Hidayat Nur Wahid, the Justice Prosperous Party (PKS) senior politician, concurrently People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) deputy chairman, vouched that his party will consistently remain in the opposition during the government’s 2019-2024 term.

"We, in the PKS, have decided to remain outside the cabinet. We remain as the opposition or whatsoever it is called. We believe that being outside the cabinet, being in the opposition and not inside the (government's) coalition, is in fact to save democracy," Wahid stated at the presidential palace here on Wednesday.

"This is because if democracy means that everyone joins the government, then who will exercise the system of check and balances? We are willing to become the one, who is upholding and saving the dignity of democracy by being in the opposition," Wahid remarked.

As a party that supported Prabowo Subianto, who lost in the 2019 presidential election, the PKS would not join the government's coalition and not seek a ministerial post, he remarked.

"Please give (the ministerial posts) to the supporters of Mr Jokowi. We, the PKS, who were not in the Jokowi coalition (during the election process), will remain outside the cabinet to save and improve the quality of democracy," he emphasized.

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The PKS has no qualms about being the only opposition political party in the House of Representatives (DPR), he noted.

He said his party leader is ready to meet President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) but was awaiting an opportune time.

In the meantime, President Jokowi had earlier received leaders of political parties supporting Subianto during the April 2019 election.

The political party leaders, who held separate meeting with Jokowi at the Merdeka Palace, were Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) of the Democratic Party, Prabowo Subianto of Gerindra, and Zukifli Hasan of the National Mandate Party (PAN).

During the meeting, they mulled over the possibility of the parties joining Jokowi's coalition.

Jokowi was supported by 10 political parties grouped in the Indonesia Working Coalition (KIK) -- the ruling PDIP, PKB, PPP, Golkar, Nasdem, PSI, Perindo, PKPI, Hanura, and the latest one, PBB -- during the presidential election.

Jokowi and his running mate, Ma'ruf Amin, chairman of the Ulema Council (MUI), will be inaugurated as Indonesia's president and vice president for the 2019-2024 term in Jakarta on October 20, 2019.

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Translator: Desca L Natalia, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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