REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- National Mandate Party (PAN) Honorary Council chairman Amien Rais explained community coalition that was proposed following his meeting with Gerindra Party chief patron Prabowo Subianto and Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) head Habib Rizieq Shihab in Mecca, Saudi Arabia last week. Community coalition will not only about Islam and Muslims, he said.
Amien asked the people to hold their prejudice. Community coalition also served national interests. "Community coalition and nationalism coalition are two sides of the same coin, said Amien through his Instagram account on Friday (June 8).
According to him, community coalition care about the nation in the middle of the siege of foreign countries interests. Amien said foreign capital controlled Indonesia.
Moreover, infrastructure projects in Indonesia are also mostly handed over to foreign parties. The labor hired was also foreign workers, while many local workers were unemployed.
Our state debt is also become the concern, Amien added.
Amien, Prabowo, and Habib Rizieq met in Mecca last week. The meeting was held at Habib Rizieq residence in the holy city, which is located about 15 minutes from the Grand Mosque.
The meeting was done after Amien and Prabowo performed umrah (minor hajj). From the meeting, the three of them were said to agree that Muslims and children of Indonesian nation who care about the state situation need to have more intensive meetings and close ranks.
In particular, Amien and Prabowo were talking about the 2019 presidential election (election). The election is considered the most decisive for Indonesia's future.
Earlier, Habib Rizieq has encouraged the formation of community coalition of four parties comprising Gerindra Party, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), PAN, and Crescent Star Party (PBB).
About a few days after meeting with Amien and Prabowo, Habib Rizieq also was visited by several PKS officials, namely majelis syuro (religious council) head Salim Segaf Al Jufri, PKS faction head Jazuli Juwaini, and member of Commission III House of representatives (DPR) Habib Aboe Bakar Al Habsyi.
Meanwhile, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) deputy advisory chairman, Hidayat Nur Wahid said the term community coalition could trigger negative response from certain parties. He suggested to change the coalition name into coalition of the community and nationalism.