2-5-2024 (JAKARTA) In a seismic shift within Indonesia’s political landscape, the long-standing ties binding President Joko Widodo to his erstwhile party vehicle have been abruptly severed. The powerful Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has declared the incumbent head of state is no longer considered a cadre member, citing his perceived backing for the rival Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming presidential ticket in the looming 2024 elections.
The dramatic rupture stems from PDI-P’s endorsement of the Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD pairing as its preferred candidates, setting the stage for an acrimonious split with Jokowi and his son-in-law Gibran Rakabuming, who is seen as aligning with Prabowo’s camp. In a stinging rebuke, senior PDI-P official Komarudin Watubun dismissed any notion of residual ties to the president.
“That man (Jokowi) is already on the other side, how can he still be considered part of the PDI Struggle? Don’t be ridiculous,” Watubun, the party’s head of honours, bluntly stated during a press conference at PDI-P’s Jakarta headquarters on Monday.
With Jokowi’s decades-long association with the party apparently shattered, the former furniture businessman finds himself adrift from his established political moorings ahead of exiting office. At least two major Indonesian parties – Golkar and the National Mandate Party (PAN) – have been increasingly viewed as jockeying to embrace the still-popular leader within their folds.
Golkar has proclaimed Jokowi part of its “greater family”, while PAN has overtly staked its claim as his new “home” in the byzantine world of Indonesian realpolitik. However, when pressed on the PDI-P’s dismissive stance during a health summit in Banten on Wednesday, Jokowi opted for brief, tight-lipped diplomacy.
“Yes, thank you,” the 61-year-old responded with a faint smile, swiftly departing without further comment.
Yet prominent Jokowi supporter Budi Arie Setiadi of the Pro Jokowi volunteer group has fanned speculation that momentum is building for the outgoing leader to join a new political party vehicle. “It’s no problem if they say he’s no longer a cadre. We’ll just go with the flow. We’ll serve the republic wherever,” Setiadi stated cryptically outside the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.
“Just wait and see which party he moves to. Revealing it now would spoil the surprise,” he added with a wink, stoking fervent speculation over Jokowi’s potential grand re-entry onto Indonesia’s volatile national stage.
