"We have no problem with his presence. Our stance remains the same if other political parties also invite him," he told journalists in Jakarta on Friday evening in connection with Baswedan's presence at the Nasdem Party's congress.
Baswedan attended the opening session of the Surya Paloh-led party's congress in his capacity as the Jakarta governor, Taufik remarked.
Tendering a clarification on a link between Baswedan's presence and the 2024 presidential elections, he stated that Gerindra will not question the party that is approaching the incumbent governor.
Taufik noted that Baswedan is not a Gerindra cadre. Furthermore, this Prabowo Subianto-led party was one of the chief supporters of the Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno pair in the 2017 Jakarta regional elections.
"If he is nominated by others, Gerindra is great," he stated.
In the meantime, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan highlighted matters pertaining to unity during a speech he had delivered at the opening session of Nasdem Party's 2nd congress.
He expressed belief that Nasdem would become a driver of the nation's combined efforts to preserve Indonesia's unity in diversity.
He contended that the party leader, Surya Paloh, had recently set a shining example for the nation on practicing democracy in a manner that takes into account differing views.
Baswedan recalled a notion mentioned in the declaration of the National Democratic Movement in 2010.
"The National Democratic Movement is keen to have a mature democracy that becomes a place for cementing diversity with unity, dynamism with order, competition with similarity, and freedom with welfare,” he affirmed.
This sort of balance needs to be realized in Indonesia. "This notion was read out at that time, and it is fought for since it is our hope in Jakarta," Baswedan, concurrently one of the founders of this National Democratic Movement, stated.
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EDITED BY INE
Translator: Fauzi, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
