Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Prospective presidential candidates (capres) are starting to make political promises. Unfortunately, these promises are considered heavy, not yet concrete and short-term, i.e. not a solution.
For example, Prabowo Subianto started making a number of promises, including free meals for all Indonesian students.
This was conveyed by the General Chairperson (Ketum) of the Gerindra Party during the party consolidation. This promise is summarized in the “Best Results Fast Program 2024-2029”.
“Our plan is to provide free lunch and milk for all students at schools, Islamic boarding schools, children under five, and nutritional assistance for pregnant women,” said Prabowo in front of Crescent Star Party (PBB) cadres at the Zone III Consolidation event at the Hotel Pangeran Beach, Padang, West Sumatra (Sumbar), quoted Wednesday (13/9/2023).
Prabowo’s promise to provide free meals to all Indonesian students is nothing new. Even in the 2019 presidential election (pilpres) debate and campaign, Prabowo made the program a campaign.
Executive Director of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) Tauhid Ahmad believes that Prabowo’s promise to focus on social protection programs is only a short-term solution.
He said Prabowo should focus more on opening up wider employment opportunities to help poor people find work. “A better program for them is job creation,” said Tauhid.
Director of the Center of Economics and Law Studies, Bima Yudhistira, believes that Prabowo still has a debt to explain in more detail about his work program which he claims is pro-people like Jokowi. He said Prabowo and his team had to explain where the costs for implementing the policy would come from. Because if not, it will actually be a blunder because entrepreneurs will worry that taxes will be increased. “This could actually be a blunder,” he said.
Furthermore, Bhima stated that the promise of the presidential candidate from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Ganjar Pranowo was impossible to implement.
He even mentioned Ganjar’s desire to increase teachers’ salaries to IDR 30 million. “The issue of a teacher’s salary of IDR 30 million is absurd, it’s more like a dream in broad daylight,” said Bhima, quoted on Wednesday (13/9/2023).
So, what about Anies Baswedan?
Bhima believes that the former Governor of DKI Jakarta has not explained in concrete terms the work program he wants to implement. He believes that Anies has been more critical of the Jokowi government’s policies.
He considers the criticism reasonable, because Anies’ coalition carries the theme of change. However, Bhima has not seen the solution offered by Anies to improve equitable development in the Jokowi era.
“What is lacking in criticism is what the solution is, what the recommendations are and what the action program is,” said Bhima.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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