Kupastuntas.co, Bandar Lampung - Chairperson of the Gerindra Party DPD Lampung Province, Rahmat Mirzani Djausal, has begun to massively raise support to run for the Mayor of Bandar Lampung election in 2024. Unmitigated, he promised the RT head who supported him in the form of road repairs using personal funds.

Ahead of the upcoming Bandar Lampung Pilwakot in 2024, a number of prospective mayoral candidates have started to appear. In addition to the name of the incumbent Eva Dwiana, the name of a member of the Lampung Province DPRD, Kostiana, and the chairman of the Gerindra Party DPD in Lampung Province, who is also a member of the Lampung Provincial DPRD, Rahmat Mirzani Djausal.

The last name recently began to make massive movements to gather support. What's interesting, Rahmat Mirzani Djausal garnered support from the RT head as an activator in the field to attract the sympathy of the community.

Information compiled by Peel Complete, Mirzani Djausal has held a meeting with a number of RT heads at his house in the Batu Putu area, Bandar Lampung, after the last Eid al-Fitr. About a hundred RT heads and residents attended the meeting.

An RT head in Kemiling District who was present at the meeting said that at first he did not know if at the meeting Mirzani Djausal asked for support to run for the Bandar Lampung Pilwakot.

“Actually, I felt trapped in attending the meeting. Because the one who invited the RT head did not say that there was a meeting at Mirzani Djausal's house in order to raise support for the Bandar Lampung Pilwakot," said the RT head who asked not to write his name to Kupas Tuntas. Monday, May 5, 2023.

He said that during the meeting, Mirzani Djausal openly stated that he would not run as a candidate for mayor of Bandar Lampung if he was not supported by the RT heads.

"I am running as a candidate for mayor of Bandar Lampung because I have the support of the RT heads. Otherwise, it would be impossible for me to advance," said the head of the RT imitating Mirzani Djausal's words at the time.

During the meeting, Mirzani Djausal also promised to carry out road repairs in the area of the RT heads who supported him. Road repair using private funds Mirzani Djausal.

"Yes, at that time there were five spokespersons, Mirzani Djausal, who was also the head of the RT, to convey to the invitees who would ask for road repairs, please submit them. At that time, Mirzani Djausal directly asked his team to record anyone who asked for road improvement proposals. Remarkably, the road repair will be realized directly using private funds, "he said.

Asked who sponsored Mirzani Djausal to carry out the road repairs, the head of the RT said that it was common knowledge that Mirzani Djausal was the son of a large contractor in Lampung Province (Faisol Djausal). So it is certain to have a large financial support.

"With regard to financial support, there seems to be no problem for Mirzani Djausal. He is the son of a large contractor in Lampung (Faisol Djausal). That means a lot of money. The person he promised would be directly on the asphalt. If you look at the way he talks using private funds, you don't have to wait for the government," he said.

Asked again how many RT heads had supported Mirzani Djausal, this RT head estimated it was fifty-first. This means that half of the RT heads have supported Mirzani Djausal and half of the RT heads are still loyal to the current Mayor of Bandar Lampung, Eva Dwiana.

At the end of the meeting, all invitees who attended received transport funds and staple foods such as rice, cooking oil and white sugar.

"It's good to get transportation and groceries funds. The groceries that were given were quite heavy when I carried them to the car," he said, laughing.

Academician of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lampung, Dedy Hermawan, said that individual factors will still determine whether someone can win the Bandar Lampung Pilwakot contestation compared to other factors such as the support factor of the supporting political party.

"Political parties are not always the determining factor for victory, but a person's performance and level of popularity is the determining factor. Political parties are only tickets," said Dedi.

So, he continued, the figure of Rahmat Mirzani Djausal as Chairperson of the Gerindra Lampung DPD did not instantly make him popular and had high electability compared to his party cadres.

He suggested that anyone running for the Bandar Lampung Pilwakot must have a high level of popularity and electability in terms of political surveys so that their movements become rational.

"Having data so that steps are measured, so electability strength either from the individual or independent path has its own consequences. How big the opportunity is can be seen based on the data, for example the survey results are an illustration," he explained.

Dedy explained that incumbents usually have superior social political capital, especially if their performance is good they usually get appreciation from the public. However, it is also necessary to survey the extent to which these incumbents have high electability, in many places the incumbents have lost.

"The level of public satisfaction must reach 60 percent to illustrate a strong incumbent's electability. Anyone who will advance in the Bandar Lampung Pilwakot must certainly have a large logistical capital. We hope that the regional elections in the future will be free from money politics and become an arena for ideas and perspectives to compete," he said. (*)

This article was published in the Kupas Tuntas Daily Newspaper, Tuesday Edition, 06 June 2023 with the title "Ahead of the 2024 Bandar Lampung Mayoral Election, Rahmat Mirzani Djausal Galang Support of the Head of RT"