The ominous ‘Mr. J’: Jokowi's new political home

When the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) chairman, Kaesang Pangarep, announced the party's new leadership lineup for the 2025-2030 period, a mysterious figure designated only as "Mr. J" was listed as the chief patron, with the full name to be revealed soon. PSI secretary general and Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni explained that the name was being kept secret under Kaesang's instruction.

This "Mr. J", while discreet, has been widely decoded. Initial speculation attributed the "J" to PSI cofounder and benefactor, Jeffrie Geovanie. However, this was proven incorrect when Jeffrie was announced instead as head of the party’s founding board. This leaves the more prominent figure: former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Kaesang’s father.

Even before this trivial puzzle was introduced, Jokowi had openly begun to align himself with the elephant-symbolized party during this period of party restructuring.

The "Mr. J" gimmick appears to come straight from the Jokowi handbook of political communication strategies. By anonymizing the name and leaving interpretations open, PSI and Jokowi can gauge the initial reaction from the public and netizens. If the response shows overwhelming support, they will likely move forward with the official announcement of Jokowi as the party's figurehead.

Jokowi, who was dismissed from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) by its chairwoman, Megawati Soekarnoputri, for defying party lines during the 2024 elections, has recently been seen hosting several PSI lawmakers at his residence in Surakarta, Central Java. He has also openly campaigned for the party as it seeks to secure its first parliamentary seats in the 2029 legislative elections.

PSI has yet to win a single seat in the House of Representatives since its inception in 2014 as a youth-based, reform-minded party. A decade later, the party's recent congress last July saw a notable shift away from its strong reformist stance toward a more pragmatic, power-seeking one.

The relationship between Jokowi and the young party is mutually beneficial. Jokowi needs an official political platform to champion his interests and wield his political strength, while PSI gains a massive publicity boost from associating with a former president who holds the highest approval rating in the country's history.

Jokowi's renewed presence in PSI comes amid waning political influence within President Prabowo Subianto's current administration. When Prabowo first took office, a significant number of his cabinet ministers were legacy officials passed down from Jokowi’s final cabinet, including ministers such as Bahlil Lahadalia (Energy and Mineral Resource), Pratikno (Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister), Tito Karnavian (Home Minister), Sri Mulyani Indrawati (former finance minister) and Budi Arie Setiadi (former cooperatives minister).

Recent reshuffles, however, have seen several of these long-standing Jokowi-era appointees removed and replaced as President Prabowo seeks to consolidate his own power over his cabinet.

Further fueling suspicion, National Police Chief Gen. Listiyo Sigit Prabowo, a known Jokowi loyalist, has faced mounting pressure to resign following the law enforcement agency’s repressive handling of protests during the August riots. This prompted President Prabowo to create a police reform task force to audit the force and meet activist demands, potentially providing a gateway to replace Listiyo.

Last week, Jokowi paid a visit to President Prabowo at the latter’s residence on Jl. Kertanegara, South Jakarta. Analysts interpret this as an effort by the former president to stabilize the relationship between the two. State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, however, stressed that the closed-door meeting, where topics ranged from national issues to inputs from Jokowi, was nothing more than an ordinary lunch between a former head of state and his successor.

While Jokowi's national influence may be diminishing, his capacity to recruit new members for the PSI remains an interesting dynamic to watch. The new PSI leadership structure announced included two prominent NasDem Party members: Ahmad Ali and Bestari Barus. Ali previously served as NasDem's deputy head, and Barus was the former head of the NasDem faction in the Jakarta provincial legislative council.

With or without Jokowi in the PSI’s new structure, the party will continue relying on his leftover political clout. It therefore remains to be seen how far the former ruler can go in rebuilding his power base and influencing the 2029 elections.