To Resolve West Java's Problems, Abah Iwan Says Party Needs Experts and Experienced Figures
No political party can answer all the challenges in West Java on its own. They need to involve experts in various fields and experienced figures.
This statement was made by the Chairman of the West Java Regional Executive Board (DPW) of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Iwan Suryawan, during the inauguration of the Regional and District Expert Councils and Advisory Councils of PKS across West Java in Bandung on Sunday (6/9).
He added that West Java is not a province that can be managed with an ordinary approach. The region has 51 million residents and 27 cities and regencies, with a diversity of backgrounds, needs, and challenges that cannot be treated uniformly.
For this reason, the West Java DPW of PKS needs to involve experts in various fields and experienced people in its management.
“West Java is large, with highly diverse patterns of behaviour and needs. We are aware that we cannot do all of this alone. For that reason, we are opening ourselves up, partnering with experts, academics, professionals, and experienced figures who wish to serve together,” said the figure familiarly known as Abah Iwan.
He did not hide his happiness when he saw the figures present to answer the call to serve West Java. Their presence brought a sense of security, giving PKS companions with whom to move forward together.
“There is a happiness that is not easy for me to express in words — seeing our teachers present with sincerity, accepting the call to serve. With their expertise and exemplary character, we feel reug-reug — calm, strong, ready to face the challenges of dakwah in West Java,” said the Deputy Speaker of the West Java Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD).
However, behind that happiness, Abah Iwan also delivered a serious warning, particularly to the officials under his leadership, that the existence of the Expert Council and Advisory Council must not stop at the ceremonial inauguration.
“There is a message that left a deep impression from one of our Advisory Council members: ‘Do not make us ornaments.’ That sentence is simple, but its depth is extraordinary. They have a great deal of knowledge and tremendous energy — so give them the space, time, and place to truly carry out this mandate. Do not let them be forgotten after being inaugurated,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Regional Consultative Assembly (MPW) of the West Java DPW of PKS, Ridwan Solichin, emphasised that this inauguration is part of a larger vision: making PKS an open home for all groups in the diverse province of West Java.
“We want PKS to become a big home for all groups in West Java, opening the widest possible space for public participation in democracy. The presence of the Expert Council and Advisory Council is a tangible manifestation of that determination,” he said.
The overflowing enthusiasm of the figures who wished to join was also noteworthy for Ridwan.
“Even last night there were still people who wanted to join the Expert Council. This makes us grateful that West Java has so many figures and experts who are willing to serve. The more, the better. Because the challenges of West Java truly require as many hands working together as possible,” he concluded.
A total of 15 people were inaugurated as Regional-level Advisory Council members, while the Regional Expert Council comprises 19 people.
At the district level, 114 people were inaugurated as Advisory Council members, while the District-level Expert Council comprises 230 people.
The Advisory Council members come from religious, national, community, leadership, entrepreneurial, and other backgrounds.
The inauguration of the Advisory Council was led directly by the Chairman of the Advisory Council of the PKS Central Executive Board (DPP), Mustafa Kamal. Meanwhile, the Expert Council was inaugurated by the Chairman of the Expert Council of the PKS DPP, Irwan Prayitno — a former two-term Governor of West Sumatra as well as an academic.
The presence of both was not merely ceremonial. It signalled that PKS takes seriously the role of these two organs in the party’s future journey.
After the inauguration, the Expert Council and Advisory Council members were provided with Party Orientation Training (TOP) material to carry out their mandate, namely a review of the PKS Articles of Association and Bylaws by MPP PKS member Syamsu Hilal.
This was followed by guidance on the Expert Council and Advisory Council by the Chairman of the West Java PKS MPW, Ridwan Solichin. Finally, a presentation titled “West Java: Past, Present, and Future” was delivered by Ahmad Heryawan, also known as Kang Aher, who served as Governor of West Java for two terms from 2008 to 2018.