REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Secretary General of PDI Perjuangan Party Hasto Kristiyanto denied that Azwar Anas resigned as a prospective deputy governor of East Java to accompany Saifullah Yusuf. It was related to circulation of vulgar pictures allegedly involving Azwar Anas, in social meda.
Hasto said that he has already communicated with Anas and confirmed that he did not resign as a prospective deputy governor of East Java.
"It's just an rumor, PKB and PDIP will still support Saifullah Yusuf and Azwar Anas in East Java Regional Election," said Hasto at PDIP Party Chairman's residence in Jakarta, on Friday (January 5).
According to him, Azwar Anas has a good personality and a good leader in Banyuwangi. Hasto asserted that they will not change Azwar Anas with Mayor of Surabaya Tri Rismaharini as a prospectiove vice governor of East Java.
"About Mrs. Risma, it is only perception. There's no change from Mr. Anas to Mrs. Risma on the Regional Election. We respect Mrs. Risma as Mayor of Surabaya," he said.
Hasto sees Azwar Anas as a good figure. Therefore, the party will see well and clearly on the problems that befall the PDIP cadres.
"We have to see well and clearly whether this person (Anas) has legal issues and moral issues, or whether this person is just a victim of what is called a 'political trapping system'. It's possible with a liberal realm," he said.
He also straightened out that democracy in Indonesia is not a democracy that allows parties to win by justifying all means, among others is character assassination. "Our democracy is an eastern culture filled with good ethics and morality. If that happens (character assasination), we are very concerned," he said.
Meanwhile, Azwar Anas assessed that the polemics that surfaced ahead of East Java Regional Election were risk of regional development policies, including attempted character assassination.
"There have been a number of character assassination attempts, including the terror that me and my family has often received, so I'm used to rumors," he said in Surabaya on Friday (January 5).
Azwar Anas confessed that it was not the first character assasination's attempt against him. In the second year of his term as Banyuwangi Regent, he claimed to experience an attempted character assassination following a number of new policies such as banning modern markets and gave shares for the people in the mining sector.
Anas also admitted that he got variety of blackmailing pictures in the past to prevent him not to take certain policies. "But I continue to do what is good for the people," he said.
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