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Megawati is dependent on Jokowi, now more than ever
Jokowi has several times signaled his preference for Ganjar as his successor.
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Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri delivers her speech during the party’s golden jubilee celebration at the Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta on Jan. 10, 2023. (Screenshot from/PDI Perjuangan YouTube channel)
P
robably for the first time since he came to power in 2014, President Joko “Jokowi’ Widodo found himself in a state of powerlessness as he had to listen to a two-hour speech by Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, during which she reminded him he would have been nobody without her support in the 2014 and 2019 elections.
Is that the case?
Jokowi responded with a broad smile when Megawati said “Pak Jokowi without the PDI-P – now that would be a pity”. She also mocked the attempts by Jokowi’s volunteer groups to push for a third presidential term for him, which is unconstitutional.
Megawati’s speech highlighted the PDI-P’s golden jubilee celebration at the Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta on Jan. 10.
Jokowi nodded his head, when Megawati, the country’s fifth president, showed off her absolute power. She refused to announce her choice of presidential candidate, although the party elites, including her daughter Puan Maharani, had told the media she would finally disclose that best kept secret.
“It is my absolute prerogative,” Megawati said of the party’s mandate to pick a presidential candidate. The PDI-P is the only party that can nominate its presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2024 race without the necessity to form a coalition.
“I am very pleased that our chairperson Ibu Megawati Soekarnputri has stated that the candidate will come from within the party. Bu Mega in making her decision will be conscientious and will not be reckless like other [political parties]. No matter how hard we push, she will not falter although the candidate's name is in her pocket. We all wait patiently,” said Jokowi in his remarks following Megawati.
