Ahead of Regional Conference, Democrat Cadre Sends Open Letter to AHY

Jakarta – Ahead of the Aceh Regional Conference (Musda) of the Democratic Party, branch treasurer Nurdiansyah Alasta has sent an open letter to the party’s General Chairman, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY). In the letter, Nurdiansyah claims to have secured support from 18 District Executive Committees (DPC) across Aceh after initially receiving the blessing of senior party figure and Minister of Creative Economy, Teuku Riefky Harsya. ‘At the start of the Musda process, I first sought the blessing of Mr Teuku Riefky Harsya, as our senior figure, to run as chairman of the Aceh Democratic Party. At that time, he gave his approval,’ Nurdiansyah stated in his letter on Wednesday. He mentioned that the supporting DPC chairmen were even brought to Jakarta to meet Teuku Riefky as a demonstration of their commitment to following the party mechanism. Nurdiansyah claims the situation changed after the Aceh Democratic Party leadership was taken over by acting chairman Riyan Firmansyah. He alleges that ahead of the Musda, he received information from DPC chairmen that Teuku Riefky Harsya had contacted them individually to redirect their support to Dr. Sayuti Abubakar, whom he claims is not a Democratic Party cadre. It is known that another candidate in the upcoming August Aceh Musda is Sayuti Abubakar, a former PKB legislative candidate who failed to win a seat in the 2019 general election. Sayuti, who currently serves as Mayor of Lhokseumawe, was previously the secretary of the Nanggroe Aceh Party’s High Council. ‘To this day, I do not know what my mistake is. I have also heard various accusations that have never been clarified to me,’ he said. Nurdiansyah stated that he has repeatedly requested a meeting with Teuku Riefky Harsya to explain matters openly, but the opportunity has not been granted. Despite this, Nurdiansyah Alasta, familiarly known as DNA, stressed that his letter is not intended to blame anyone or question the senior figure’s stance. ‘I only hope that you, Mr AHY, will understand what I am experiencing from my perspective as a cadre who has built a career from the ground up as Chairman of the Southeast Aceh Regency DPC, and who has fought from the grassroots, built support openly, and followed the party mechanism in good faith,’ he wrote.