Ganjar Pranowo was asked to come to Batutulis Palace in Bogor, West Java, on Thursday (20/4/2023), but was not told about the plan to announce him as the PDI-P’s presidential candidate.
By
NIKOLAUS HARBOWO
·6 minutes read
ISTANA KEPRESIDENAN/AGUS SUPARTO
From left, PDI-P DPP Chair Puan Maharani, President Joko Widodo, PDI-P Chairperson Megawati Soekarno Putri, PDIP Presidential Candidate Candidate Ganjar Pranowo, PDI-P DPP Chair Prananda Prabowo pose for a group photo after the announcement of the PDI-P presidential candidate at the Batutulis Palace, Kota Bogor, West Java, Friday (21/4/2023).
The decision of PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri to back Ganjar Pranowo in the 2024 presidential race was taken after long contemplation. However, the occasion of the decision’s announcement was known only to a few people. Ganjar was given time to pray and contemplate in the room where Bung Karno used to rest at Batutulis Palace in Bogor, West Java.
On Wednesday (19/4/2023) evening, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto suddenly received instruction from PDI-P general chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri to contact Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo. Ganjar was asked to come to Batutulis Palace in Bogor, West Java, on Thursday (20/4/2023), but was not told about the plan to announce him as the PDI-P’s presidential candidate.
"I was just told, 'Bung [brother] Ganjar was asked to come to Jakarta on Thursday morning. Everything was a secret, including the family, and to meet Ibu [Megawati]. Someone would pick him up when he arrived at the airport,'" Hasto said on Sunday (23/4/2023).
A similarly sudden call was also made to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who had gathered with his family to celebrate Idul Fitri in Surakarta, Central Java. On Thursday morning, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung contacted Jokowi and asked the President to be at Batutulis on Friday (21/4/2023).
No one knew what Megawati would say until they had gathered these key party members. What was clear was that Megawati had been staying at Batutulis since Wednesday afternoon. Batutulis was the favorite palace of the first President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soekarno, during his lifetime and was often the location Megawati chose to be for making important decisions, such as when picking Jokowi as the PDI-P’s presidential candidate in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections (Pilpres).
Then on Thursday, the day before the announcement of Ganjar as the party’s presidential candidate, Megawati held a meeting attended only by two other PDI-P chairmen, namely Prananda Prabowo and Puan Maharani, PDI-P general treasurer Olly Dondokambey and secretary-general Hasto. At the meeting, Megawati conveyed her decision to nominate Ganjar as the PDI-P’s presidential candidate in the 2024 presidential election. The decision would be announced the following day, on Friday, 21 April 2023, to coincide with Kartini Day. After all agreed, the agenda was drawn up.
TIM PDI-P
PDI-P Chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri pairs a skullcap to the PDI-P presidential candidate Ganjar Prabowo at the Batutulis Palace, Bogor, West Java, Friday (21/4/2023).
Being a leader, you have to be wise and good, good and wise.
Meanwhile, Ganjar, who had also been staying at Batutulis since Thursday, was given special time to pray and contemplate in Bung Karno's room. The aim was to reflect on all of Bung Karno's ideas, ideals, and struggles. According to Hasto, Batutulis Palace had an important meaning as the place where all its members were taught about political character driven by a belief in its ideology and a life of dedication to the people, nation and state.
“Even when she was in Batutulis, Megawati emphasized readiness, ideologically and spiritually. Thus, Ibu [Mrs.] Mega's very deep advice flowed to Ganjar: 'Being a leader, you have to be wise and good, good and wise. Don't look at the palace from the bright side. However, recognize the dark side and responsibility, then you will become a leader,'” said Hasto, repeating Megawati's message to Ganjar.
Reading the moment
Throughout Friday morning, the news that Megawati would announce the party’s presidential candidate began to spread among journalists. This was because on that day at 10 a.m. there was an instruction to the party’s ranks to prepare for an expanded DPP meeting. Even though the information was internal and confidential, it was certain that it would leak, because the party had 1.2 million officials.
Still, not much information had come from Batutulis, especially regarding the presidential candidate that Megawati had decided on. Those in Batutulis were very disciplined in keeping this information.
Stringent efforts were made to keep this secret, even down to the little things. For example, when printing the banner used as the backdrop for the event, the location and date of the meeting were not written down. The internet signal was also not strengthened for fear that it would draw unknown people to Batutulis. In addition, to avoid inviting too many people to the meeting, the event officials also used the people who were already present. For example, Pramono Anung was assigned to read Pancasila. Likewise, Hasto was assigned to lead the moment of silence.
Hasto revealed that the effort to keep this secret was part of the design of the element of surprise. "That was where the moment came from. The announcement of the name of the presidential candidate was definitely very much awaited, so when it was done in a simple but solemn event, everything gave weight to the importance of the event according to the party's protocols," said Hasto.
KOMPAS/NINO CITRA ANUGRAHANTO
PDI-P cadres dye their hair white, in Surakarta City, Central Java, Friday (21/4/2023). The action was a form of support for Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo who was chosen as a presidential candidate from the PDI-Perjuangan.
Reading the signal
Even though Megawati announced her decision to back Ganjar as the PDI-P’s presidential candidate on Friday afternoon, a number of members had actually been reading the signs since the beginning of the year, or more precisely, at the PDI-P’s 50th anniversary event at the JIEXpo in Kamayoran, Jakarta, on 10 Jan. 2023.
PDI-P senior politician Hendrawan Supratikno said Megawati made two signals at that event. The first was that the presidential candidate would be a party member. The second was that Megawati made assurances that she would “not bring the party to the well”.
“This means that the presidential candidate who would be backed was one who would win. Our imagination then played with the results of surveys and aspirations from the grassroots,” Hendrawan said.
Based on information gathered by Kompas on 25 Feb 2023, Megawati also called the chairman for the general election success team, Bambang Wuryanto, and the chairman of the PDI-P faction at the House of Represenatives (DPR), Utut Adianto.
Several days later, Bambang met with Hasto and told him about his political analysis and intuition that Megawati was already leaning 90 percent towards choosing Ganjar.
Kompas had asked Bambang for confirmation about this, but he did not respond. Meanwhile, Utut only said, “We learn from life. Not [about] life from education. Let me learn how to maintain trust.”
Nevertheless, it had actually been confirmed in Megawati’s speech at that anniversary event that she would choose Ganjar as the PDI-P’s presidential candidate.
Megawati said that before announcing the presidential candidate that the party would be backing, she would contemplate for a long time and continue to think, see and observe what the people expected. She also held dialogues with national figures and among the party’s internal ranks.
“My duty and responsibility are not things that are light. Therefore, I use all my common sense, the eyes of my heart and my thoughts,” Megawati said at the time.
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