Dita Sari’s reasons for supporting the Kalla-Wiranto
presidential bid

Pemiluindonesia.com - June 7, 2009

Up until now, Dita Indah Sari has been known as a
labour activist, while Vice President Jusuf Kalla is
known as a business person. Sari however has formed
the Courageous Volunteers for Resurrecting Self-
Sufficiency (Relawan Berani Bangkit Mandiri, Relawan
BBM), which represent a group of volunteers who will
campaign for the Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto
presidential bid. So what are Sari’s reasons for
giving her support to Kalla?

“We feel comfortable with his ideas of self-
sufficiency and a people’s economy”, said Sari prior
to the declaration of Relawan BBM at the Panti
Trisula Perwari Building in Central Jakarta on
Saturday June 6.

Up until now, said Sri, Kalla’s vision and mission
is seen as supporting workers’ welfare. Moreover
according to Sari, Kalla has promised to safeguard
domestic industries and is concerned about labour
problems. “So that workers will not be dismissed in
large numbers”, said the Chairperson of the
Indonesian National Front for Labour Struggle
(FNPBI).

Dita also believes that Kalla is the type of leader
who can communicate in a simple language. In
addition to this, Kalla is also considered to be
prepared to act quickly. “We’re tired of leaders who
are indecisive, normative and impractical”, said the
former Chairperson of the People’s Democratic Party
(PRD).

Kalla and Wiranto’s diverse backgrounds have also
not been lost on Sari. “Because this is a ‘pilpres’
[presidential election], not a ‘pilres’ or residence
election [sic], that only covers Pacitan, Madiun,
and surrounding areas,” said Dita.

Source: Ismoko Widjaya, Bayu Galih – VIVAnews

Dita Sari: Kalla-Wiranto presidential ticket
connects with workers

Kompas.com - June 6, 2009

Caroline Damanik, Jakarta — Labour activist Dita
Indah Sari believes that presidential and vice
presidential candidates Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto (JK-
Win) are the partnership that most connects with
workers. It is because of this that workers and
youths who have joined the Courageous Volunteers for
Resurrecting Self-Sufficiency (Relawan Berani
Bangkit Mandiri, Relawan BBM) and are ready to
support the pair’s victory in the coming
presidential elections.

“We feel compatible with their [idea of] economic
self-sufficiency. To the degree that their concepts
very much connect [with us]”, said Sari prior to the
declaration of Relawan BBM at the Panti Trisula
Perwari Building in Menteng, Central Jakarta on
Saturday June 6, which was attended by Jusuf Kalla.

The concept of economic self-sufficiency being
offered by the JK-Win ticket, according to Dita,
satisfies the points that up until now have been
longed for by workers, including among other those
related to the JK-Win program to protect domestic
industry and to introduce outsourcing and contract
labour systems that truly side with workers.

In addition to this, Sari believes that Kalla is the
type of leader who is prepared to take a stand, does
not get caught up in communication formalities with
the people and is quick to act. “[They] suit us. We
are tired, right, with leaders that are so often
pragmatic and [only] talk about general issues”,
said Sari.

Another element of Kalla’s leadership that Sari
considers to be positive is the practical solutions
that are often offered by Kalla to respond to the
ordinary people’s problems related to the economy.
Kalla’s background as a businessperson is not a
problem for Sari.

“What’s important is the system. Although he is from
business circles, he has a good system. How he
oversees the system to regulate himself as a
government official and a businessperson. [Even] if
there conflict of interests, right, this could arise
in any kind of profession”, said Sari.

During the declaration today, workers will present a
political contract to JK-Win, covering guarantees of
protection to domestic industry, improvements to
outsourcing systems and contract labour, along with
a commitment to develop political communication that
is egalitarian and open to the people.

Relawan BBM will be declared in 25 cities including
Solo, Semarang, Banten Tangerang and Yogyakarta. As
the coordinator of Relawan BBM, Sari is positive
that workers throughout the archipelago will be able
to be brought in to support a JK-Win victory.

Dita Sari: Workers support Kalla-Wiranto
presidential ticket

Tempo Interactive - June 7, 2009

Kurniasih Budi, Jakarta — A group of workers who
have declared themselves as a voluntary team to
support Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto believe that Kalla’s
performance has been better than the other
presidential candidates.

“I feel comfortable with JK (Kalla’s) style of
working, which is quick to act, quick to find
solutions and dynamic. In addition to this, he has
the courage to be himself and has his own way of
resolving problems”, said labour activist Dita Indah
Sari following the declaration of the Courageous
Volunteers for Resurrecting Self-Sufficiency
(Relawan Berani Bangkit Mandiri, Relawan BBM) at the
Perwari Building in Jakarta on Saturday June 6.

Hundreds of workers took part in declaring
themselves as a volunteer team to support the Kalla-
Wiranto presidential bid. Dita said that the
political stand taken by the labour group supporting
Kalla represents a positive step. “Increasingly
large numbers of workers are becoming involved in
politics so political policies will be pro-worker”,
she said.

Sari is also optimist that Kalla will not break his
promises because his concepts are the same as those
of the working class. Moreover Kalla will prioritise
the development of small- and medium-scale
enterprises by keeping down interest rates on credit
for small businesses. In addition to this, the
Kalla-Wiranto ticket has a program to develop the
agricultural sector. These two programs, said Sari,
will support those economic sectors that absorb
large amounts of labour. “If lots of people have
jobs then purchasing power will increase,” she said.

Labour representative Adam Syah Wahab said, “We are
ready to ensure the victory of Pak (Mr) JK as
president.”

Kalla and Wiranto, who have the backing of the
Golkar Party and the People’s Conscience Party
(Hanura), will be competing with candidates
championed by the Democrat Party and several other
political parties, incumbent President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono and former Central Bank governor
Boediono, and the candidates put up by the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and
the Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra),
Megawati Sukarnoputri and Prabowo Subianto in the
July 8 presidential elections.