In a notable departure from their decade-long support for President Joko Widodo, Indonesia\u2019s iconic rock band, Slank, has thrown its star power behind presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo, underscoring a commitment to \u201ckeep democracy alive.\u201d The surprise announcement occurred at a prominent press conference in Jakarta on Saturday, with the presence of Ganjar Pranowo and his running mate, Chief Security Minister Mohammad Mahfud.<\/p>\n
The band\u2019s public endorsement of Ganjar Pranowo, the former governor of Central Java, marks an important shift in their political allegiance, challenging the narrative of unwavering support for President Jokowi. Slank\u2019s decision to back Ganjar Pranowo, considered an underdog in the race, reflects a broader sentiment among certain sections of the Indonesian populace seeking to inject fresh energy into the political landscape.<\/p>\n
President Joko Widodo has been constitutionally barred from running for his third term. Meanwhile, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Widodo\u2019s eldest son has joined front-runner Prabowo Subianto, as his candidate for the vice president in the upcoming February 14 elections in Indonesia.
\nRidho, another Slank guitarist asserted, \u201cIt\u2019s very easy to choose who we want to see as the next president these days by looking at the recent manoeuvres.\u201d Ridho also said that they could not lose hope, and that\u2019s why they put their hope in Ganjar and Mahfud. The rock band\u2019s commitment to \u201ckeep democracy alive\u201d resonates against the backdrop of discussions about the consolidation of power and the importance of fostering a competitive democratic process. Slank\u2019s endorsement underscores the influential role that cultural icons can play in shaping public opinion and influencing political dynamics.<\/p>\n
The five-member band coined the popular song \u2018Salam Dua Jari\u2019 (\u2018Two Finger Salute\u2019) in support of the first presidential campaign of Widodo back in the year 2014. For some fans of Slank, this news came as a surprise.\u00a0As Indonesia approaches a critical juncture in its democratic journey, the public endorsement by Slank introduces an intriguing element into the electoral landscape. The band\u2019s decision to back Ganjar Pranowo is poised to spark discussions on the role of celebrities in politics and the possible impact they can have on shaping and influencing the democratic discourse in the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Slank\u2019s guitarist, Abdee, delivered a clear message, stating, \u201cWe need to keep democracy alive. For us, (the candidates) who fit that role are Ganjar and Mahfud.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":405,"featured_media":11320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[6747,286,3109,679,7436],"class_list":["post-11300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indonesia","tag-ganjar-pranowo","tag-indonesia","tag-joko-widodo","tag-president-joko-widodo","tag-slank"],"reading_time":"2 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}