As part of an ongoing attempt to heal an internal rift, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri flew to Surabaya on Saturday to express her support for the widely popular city mayor and at the same time to validate the position of the mayor'€™s rival and deputy, whom Megawati has described as her own son.

With the legislative election campaign period only about two weeks away, she wanted to send a strong message to party members and rival political parties who have tried to poach Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini, popularly known as Risma.

'€œI told Mbak Risma to keep on going no matter what and be strong in running Surabaya. If we bow to [internal conflict], the only people that will suffer are none other than the people of Surabaya,'€ Megawati said in a media briefing Saturday.

The daughter of Indonesia'€™s first president, Sukarno, was accompanied by the country'€™s most popular potential presidential candidate, Jokowi '€œJoko'€ Widodo, during her brief visit to East Java.

The Jakarta governor, a PDI-P politician, has repeatedly persuaded Risma to stay in her post, after she said on national television that she intended to resign over the appointment of her political rival as her deputy.

The Golkar Party, the Democratic Party and the Gerindra Party have openly called on Risma to join their ranks, indicating that she could even be offered a spot as a running mate on a presidential ticket.

Megawati had previously summoned both Tri and her deputy, Wisnu Sakti Buana, to her Menteng residence in Central Jakarta. She decided to visit them again in Surabaya because it was evident that Risma was still dissatisfied with having to work alongside Wisnu in City Hall.

It was Wisnu who led the charge to oust Risma as the mayor just several months after her election in 2010. Last year, the PDI-P chose him to replace previous deputy Bambang DH, who stepped down to run for governor of East Java.

Besides asking Risma to stay on, Megawati told Wisnu to work hand-in-hand with the mayor in running the city. '€œI regard Wisnu as my own son because I'€™ve known him since he was a child. Wisnu is the son of the late Sutjipto, who used to be the secretary-general of PDI-P,'€ Megawati said.

She also told Wisnu not to get easily provoked by any rumors intending to spark internal conflict. '€œLet the people pass judgment on what has happened,'€ she went on.

Megawati also hinted that some parties might try to hurt the PDI-P in the run-up to the election.

'€œThere must be some parties who are trying to intentionally disturb the harmony of our party because they consider PDI-P as a strong rival in the upcoming election,'€ Megawati said.

Both Risma and Wisnu were present during the media briefing, but did not make any comments.

Meanwhile, Jokowi also refrained from talking to the media. Megawati is expected to announce her decision about whether or not he will be the party'€™s presidential candidate after the April 9 election.

Risma is also a rising star in the PDI-P, as many observers expect she will become a national leader.

Separately, political expert at Airlangga University in Surabaya, Haryadi, praised Megawati'€™s move, saying the PDI-P had successfully handled its internal conflict.

'€œMegawati'€™s statement has settled the problem and brought a positive image to the party, but not in terms of the personal issue between Risma and Wisnu,'€ Haryadi said.

Political observer Arie Sudjito of Gadjah Mada University disagreed. '€œMegawati shouldn'€™t have intervened. It means that the PDI-P and its leadership pattern still relies on her,'€ he said. (fss)

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