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lthough it was not directly uttered by Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) paramount leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, the way she paves the way for the party'€™s popular prodigy Joko Widodo to contest the 2014 presidential election is not only encouraging for the PDI-P but also for the nation in general. The impact will be manifold and will hopefully change the playing field.

Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo is the front runner of the 2014 presidential race. Various popularity surveys have consistently ranked him as the head of the pack, which comprises mostly old faces such as Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party founder Prabowo Subianto, Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, People'€™s Conscience (Hanura) Party chairman Wiranto, former vice president Jusuf Kalla and former Constitutional Court chief Mahfud MD.

The fact that Jokowi was elected Jakarta governor last year exemplifies the people'€™s yearn for change, which they can hardly expect from older generations. That is not something peculiar or endemic in Indonesia as the trend of young people taking over command has seen a global push. The world, Indonesia included, is moving toward a resistance to gerontocracy. People now prefer young leaders as they symbolize energy, dynamics, creativity and progress. In short, young leaders keep hope alive.

Our country'€™s movement for independence ignited from the passion of young, progressive thinkers who envisioned and crafted a nation-state. Challenges confronting Indonesia in this fast changing world will require the workmanship of a new breed of leaders, which the old generation may be unable to keep up with due to their mind-set.

If Megawati realizes that fewer people will vote for her in 2014 than in the previous two polls, other party leaders should have the heart to accede. The ruling Democratic Party and other major parties will have no other option but to find their own young candidates who can match Jokowi.

The Democratic Party, which can no longer nominate its powerful chief patron President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is planning to name its presidential candidate through a national convention. While the initiative deserves plaudits, the party elites should encourage young figures from inside and outside the party to contest. Up and coming Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan has expressed his interest in joining the convention and no one with the Democrats would doubt his qualifications except for narrow-minded party members.

Of course, their candidacy will depend on the results of the preceding legislative election. For many in Indonesia and beyond, however, Jokowi and Gita going head-to-head in a presidential race seems like a dream that is not far fetching. But the dream will never come true if political parties, which hold the constitutional power to nominate the president and vice president, turn a deaf ear to the demand for a new generation of leaders.