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Analysis: PDI-P faces test of unity ahead of national congress
Tenggara Strategics January 24, 2025
Chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Megawati Soekarnoputri speaks with (ki-ka) Chairwoman of Political and Security Affairs Puan Maharani and Chair of the UMKM, Creative Economy and Economics Division of Prananda Prabowo in the Determina
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is still the biggest party in the country, yet its position with respect to President Prabowo Subianto ’s administration is either hanging in the balance or remains unclear. However, the ongoing corruption investigation into PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto has driven the party closer to the President, as PDI-P chair Megawati Soekarnoputri signaled during the party’s anniversary celebration on Jan. 10.
Megawati has led the party since 1993 and sailed through rough waves, including an internal rift supported by Soeharto’s New Order regime, which culminated in the violent takeover of the party’s headquarters on July 3, 1996.
Following the fall of Soeharto in 1998, the party won the first democratic elections in 1999, but Megawati lost the presidential race to fellow reform icon Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid. Only in 2001 did she finally ascend from vice president to president after the People’s Consultative Assembly impeached Gus Dur.
The PDI-P stayed outside of the government after Megawati conceded defeat to her former chief security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the 2004 and 2009 elections. The party regained its glory in 2014, when it won both the legislative and presidential race through populist member Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
The PDI-P hegemony continued in the 2019 election, which also saw Jokowi win his second term. Ties between the two unraveled ahead of the 2024 elections: Megawati nominated Ganjar Pranowo for president while Jokowi chose Prabowo, who then picked Jokowi’s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka as his running mate.
Like Jokowi, Prabowo is obsessed with a big-tent coalition to minimize opposition. Since his inauguration in October, Prabowo has brought in all parties with seats in the House of Representatives, except the PDI-P. A meeting between Prabowo and Megawati has been brokered but has never materialized.
In fact, the PDI-P is torn between an internal faction that wants it to accept Prabowo’s invitation to join the ruling coalition, led by his Gerindra Party, and another camp that insists on an opposition role to win the 2029 elections.
During the party’s anniversary event, senior PDI-P member Sidarto Danusubroto delivered a message from Prabowo to Megawati that he wanted to meet her. Afterward, Sidarto confirmed that communication between the party matriarch and Prabowo would be conducted through mediators.
Megawati admitted that she had no personal grudges with Prabowo, recalling their partnership in the 2009 presidential election.
Hope for an imminent meeting between the two have resurfaced since Hasto was named as a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in a bribery case involving PDI-P member Harun Masiku, who has been on the run for four years.
While persistently criticizing Jokowi, Hasto has praised Prabowo’s programs, including the recently launched free nutritious meal program for students and the housing program to build 3 million affordable homes for lower-income families. Conversely, Gerindra Party executive chairman and House Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, one of Prabowo’s confidants, praised the PDI-P as a strategic partner of the government because they shares a commitment to fighting for the poor.
Not everybody is happy with Megawati’s leadership. Effendi Simbolon, a former PDI-P lawmaker who was sacked for refusing to support the party’s gubernatorial pair in the Jakarta election, said it was time for her to step down, pointing to Hasto’s entanglement in the graft case.
PDI-P spokesperson Guntur Romli meanwhile suspects that Effendi was conveying a message from Jokowi after meeting the former president earlier this month in his hometown of Surakarta, Central Java.
Effendi’s statement gives weight to Megawati’s speech in December 2024, when she alleged that certain parties wanted to break up the party.
The PDI-P national congress in April could be a decisive moment for the party that might change the landscape of national politics. To some extent, PDI-P members remain loyal to Megawati, as evident in the pledge from grassroots members in Surabaya who said they were ready to bleed for her.
What we've heard
Several PDI-P politicians have suggested that there is a possibility of a meeting between Megawati and Prabowo in the near future. However, this does not indicate that the PDI-P will join Prabowo's ruling coalition. "Friendships must be maintained even if we are not in the cabinet," one of the politicians said.
According to a source familiar with the internal dynamics of the party, Megawati has communicated with Prabowo. Their conversation is said to have been facilitated by Megawati's daughter, Puan Maharani. Megawati has also appointed senior party member, Sidarto, as a liaison between her and Prabowo.
The source said the main barrier to communication between Megawati and Prabowo is former president Jokowi and his family.
The PDI-P's official stance on the government will be announced during the party congress, scheduled for April.
Source: www.thejakartapost.comRelated Articles
