REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, YOGYAKARTA -- President-elect Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, has the strategic capability to face the Red-and-White Coalition in the parliament, according to a political observer from Gajah Mada University, Erwan Agus Purwanto.
"Jokowi has a wealth of experience in facing the parliament as Jakarta's governor, when only a few factions supported him," Erwan stated here on Tuesday.
He remarked that Jokowi's strategy is a political experiment to build a coalition of people instead of political parties, thus empowering his leadership position.
"Therefore, during Jokowi's term in office, there will be many political experiments, and if these are successful, Indonesia will see political progress," he noted.
He warned that Jokowi should wisely face the permanent coalition existing in the parliament, because the system of government in Indonesia does not purely adhere to the presidential system but sometimes applies the parliamentary system.
"With the current government system in Indonesia, I believe only 33 percent of the political parties that support Jokowi in the parliament will pose a great challenge to him, unless he balances it with a smart and mature political formula," Erwan stated.
However, he pointed out that political parties supporting Jokowi and Prabowo-Hatta still had the opportunity to cooperate after Jokowi is inaugurated as president.
"The coalition parties in the parliament will likely approach Jokowi, but it is up to him to open the door to a coalition," he said.
Earlier, Golkar Party Advisory Council Chairman Akbar Tanjung had predicted that the Red-and-White Coalition in the parliament will be able to determine every government policy.
"If the Red-and-White Coalition is strong and solid, we can determine the government's political policy," Akbar said at a national panel discussion here on Sunday.
In the parliament, the Red-and-White Coalition is supported by five political parties, while Jokowi is supported by only four political parties.
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