PAPUA – The political map ahead of the Governor Elections in a number of Provinces in Papua is moving dynamically. Political parties are working with each other in order to fulfill a number of requirements before officially registering their candidates with the Regional General Election Commission (KPUD).
“The political configuration in each province in Papua illustrates its own peculiarities,” said Political Analyst and Researcher from Paramadina University, Herdi Sahrasad when asked about the political dynamics of the Governor Election in Papua.
For the Governor Election in Papua Mountains, according to Herdi, Gerindra’s support for Governor Candidate John Tabo is considered to strengthen the solidity of the Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM) and has the potential to win.
“Golkar DPP Deputy Secretary General Dereck Loupatty’s invitation to Gerindra to join in supporting John Tabo needs to be observed and welcomed because it is the most rational and shows the solidity of the Advanced Indonesia Coalition,” Herdi said.
As is known, the political map in the choice of governor of Papua Mountains shows the competition between John Tabo and Befa Yigibalom. John Tabo has confirmed that his deputy is Ones Pahabol and has pocketed recommendations from Golkar and the Democrats, while Befa Yigibalom has recommendations from Nasdem, PKS and Perindo.
According to Herdi, the rational reason for the need for KIM to solidly support John Tabo is because he is known as a figure who works hard to win Prabowo-Gibran in the 2024 presidential election, which is fully supported by KIM. As the head of the winning team in the Papua Mountains, Tabo has shown his dedication by effectively mobilizing resources to achieve broad support in the area.
“KIM’s support for John Tabo is not only a strategic decision, but also the fairest and most sustainable step for the future of politics in the Papua Mountains,” said Herdi, who is also the author of the book “Prabowo Subianto The Rising Star, from the Great Indonesia Movement to the Prosperous State”.
Herdi emphasized that in political science literature the terms “quid pro quo” and “Reciprocal Support” are known, both of which describe the concept of reciprocity in politics, where support given at one time deserves to be reciprocated with equal support at another time.
Among all the candidates, only Tabo has historical and emotional closeness to Prabowo as president-elect. This closeness will facilitate the translation of Prabowo’s national policies in the Mountainous Papua Province, ensuring synergy between the central and local governments.
Papua Mountains need to be led by the right figure and have heart ties with the central government because that’s where there are many KKB and OPM groups. John Tabo is considered the best figure and will be a unifier between the existing tribes and will uphold the red and white in the mountains.
On the other hand, Herdi explained, to maintain coalition stability, parties in KIM need to continue to build effective communication, manage conflicts, and carry out interest management. This is especially needed in order to strengthen resilience to external pressure.
Furthermore, Herdi also analyzed that it is likely that Befa Yigibalom will change his political strategy with what is called a “running mate switch”, namely changing the deputy candidate to be more competitive.
