PDI-P Presidential Candidate Must Maintain Continuity

DOKUMENTASI DPP PDI-PERJUANGAN

Chairperson of The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Megawati Soekarnoputri chaired a virtual meeting from her residence in early May 2020, Jakarta.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has emphasized that the party’s 2024 presidential candidate must have a vision and mission that aligned with the current administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, which was necessary to ensure regime continuity. However, the party has not yet decided on its candidate.

The statement was made by PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto during a virtual event to commemorate the party’s 49th anniversary. The event was attended by PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, President Jokowi, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin and other dignitaries.

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According to Hasto, the PDI-P desired government continuity in 2024, when a new president would be elected. Therefore, the party should select its presidential candidate carefully to ensure that he or she had the same policy orientation as President Jokowi.

President Jokowi would likely provide his input to Megawati Soekarnoputri in determining the party’s presidential candidate.

Mutual cooperation

In her commemorative address to mark the PDI-P’s anniversary, Megawati highlighted that the spirit of gotong royong (mutual cooperation), as the embodiment of Pancasila, should be wielded as the most powerful weapon against the Covid-19 pandemic. "The wisest approach to take is to strengthen the spirit of gotong royong," she said.

She encouraged PDI-P cadres to strengthen unity between leaders and the people, and vice versa. Such synergy and close ties should be built so Indonesia could successfully handle the impacts of the pandemic, she said.

Kompas

Chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Megawati Soekarnoputri (right) and President Joko Widodo accompanied by a number of ministers attended the peak celebration of the 49th anniversary of PDI-P, via video teleconference, Monday (10/1/2022).

Learning from history, Megawati said, the Indonesian nation had the collective power to get out of the crisis. The key to this was the confidence of their leader, she stressed. "The leader’s [sense of] unity with the people and implementing the Pancasila ideology as a unifier of the nation are a must," she said.

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President Jokowi concurred with Megawati, saying that the key to success in overcoming the pandemic was mutual cooperation. "We continue to strengthen the noble values inherited from Bung Karno and the founders of other nations. We must protect the noble values of Pancasila," he said.

Criticism

Meanwhile, a number of politicians criticized Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia's statement that a part of the business community wanted the 2024 presidential election to be postponed, considering that the national economy had not fully recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic. Bahlil made the statement on Sunday (9/1), during a presentation of the results of the latest survey from pollster Indonesian Political Indicator.

The constitution provided no norm that allowed extending the terms of the president or the vice president.

Deputy secretary-general Luqman Hakim of the National Awakening Party (PKB) said that Article 7 of the 1945 Constitution stipulated that the president and vice president each had five-year terms and could be reelected for another five-year term. The constitution provided no norm that allowed extending the terms of the president or the vice president.

MELATI UNTUK KOMPAS

The atmosphere of the PDI-Struggle DPP Workshop entitled PDI-Struggle Caderization Wins People's Hearts, Jakarta, Monday (9/7/2018).

The head of strategic communications at the Democratic Party, Herzaky Mahendra Putra, citing a statement President Jokowi made some time ago, that proposing to extend his presidential term beyond a second five-year term was tantamount to humiliating him. Herzaky added that any minister who backed the proposal to extend his presidency for a third term was opposed to the President's direction. (BOW)

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi).