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Discourse: We are solid as a family, party: Puan Maharani
Puan Maharani
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Puan Maharani. JP/Jerry Adiguna
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) achievement in the April 9 legislative election ' based on the results of quick counts ' of 19.24 percent, which is far below its target of 27.02 percent, has surprised many, including the party itself. Deputy chair for politics and inter-state institution relations and head of the PDI-P's election team Puan Maharani spoke with The Jakarta Post's Imanuddin Razak about the party's internal affairs and strategies for the July 9 presidential election, including its potential coalition partners and vice presidential candidates.
Question: We'd like to know about reports [by The Jakarta Post] that you told [PDI-P presidential candidate] Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo to leave a meeting on the evening of April 9. Is it true?
Answer: No, it's not true. I was not there [in Teuku Umar, Megawati's main residence] when the meeting was held. It was only my mother [party chair Megawati Soekarnoputri], Pak Jokowi and my older brother Prananda [Prabowo]. I was in Kebagusan [Megawati's other residence] until around 6:30 p.m., when the results of the quick count were announced.
About Pak Jokowi, he came when [my family] voted in Kebagusan in the morning, but he left Kebagusan not long after that. After the announcement of the quick count results, we all left Kebagusan, with my mother going to Teuku Umar.
I was asked to join the meeting in Teuku Umar on Wednesday evening, but I told my mother that I could not join them there as I would join my friends in a program outside [Jakarta]. I haven't seen either my mother or Pak Jokowi until today.
After all, the meeting itself was uneventful and did not discuss the election results seriously, it was just dinner.
Are you in serious disagreement with Prananda?
Reports of my disagreement with Mas Nanan were false rumors, created by people who have an interest and agenda in attacking our family. These people do not want to see the PDI-P become a strong party or do not want to see the return of trah [offspring of] Sukarno [into politics].
We have a solid brother and sister relationship. I am surprised when people refer to me as the daughter of Pak Taufik Kiemas and Mas Nanan as the son of my mother's other husband.
As far as I am concerned, we ' my two older brothers and I ' grew up together with Pak Taufik Kiemas as our father figure: Our father is Taufik Kiemas, nobody else.
We have always felt that we are siblings ['¦] we are solid ['¦] we belong to the same family and we always help each other in our own ways.
It's true that I have been treated differently than my brothers. But, that is part of our [Indonesian] culture ' brothers will always 'give in' to their sisters ' isn't it? Moreover, I am the youngest and the only girl in the family.
There is nothing crueler in life than pitting siblings against each other, or parents against their children.
Even if people say that I am not the biological granddaughter of Sukarno because I am the daughter of Sukarno's daughter, I still have Sukarno's blood running through my veins.
Are those who are attacking your family from inside or outside the PDI-P?
I do not want to speculate about who is [are] behind these rumors. But, nobody imagined ' my mother included ' that after over 30 years of being sidelined from the political arena by the New Order regime, the Sukarno family, represented by her [Megawati] not only returned to politics, but was elected as vice president and then president of the republic.
Also nobody thought that after 10 years of being the opposition, the PDI-P could return and win the legislative election. The [legislation election] results show that the people appreciate what we have been doing for them and the country.
Ibu Megawati said three years ago that 2014 would be a decisive point for the PDI-P. That's why we've worked very hard over the last three years to win the legislative election. And the results do show. Alhamdulillah [Thank God] there are still descendants of Sukarno in politics.
Jokowi is not an offspring of Sukarno. Are you and the Sukarno family willing to let him lead the PDI-P and the country?
It's not a matter of being willing or unwilling but, rather, how to continue the promotion of Sukarno's ideology in this election year and beyond.
I truly respect the decision by Ibu Megawati to back Pak Jokowi in this task.
Insya Allah [God's willing], if we all work hard for the people and the country without any vested interests, we can achieve the target and the people themselves will judge and enjoy the results of our hard work.
We do hope that the one holding the mandate has the same confidence in [Sukarno's ideology] as we do.
Are there any regrets over the naming of Jokowi as the PDI-P's presidential candidate, especially as the party's legislative election achievement looks to have missed its target?
We have made our decision. We must not look back, but prepare for the future. We must think of what is next, not why.
Is there any talk of revoking the mandate on Jokowi?
Currently, there is no such plan to do so. We remain solid in supporting him as our presidential candidate.
In terms of a coalition, will the PDI-P only include NasDem Party, which has expressed its readiness, or invite other parties to join?
We will open our coalition door to as many parties as possible. But, only if they have the same vision and mission statements as we do. They must be committed to a long-term, five-year coalition.
If we talk about a coalition, we can no longer talk about our different [party] colors. What should remain is the commitment to the red and white ' our nation's flag and a symbol of unity.
Based on the legislative election results, there will likely be three coalitions of parties contesting the presidential election. Even if the PDI-P wins the July 9 election, it will likely have to endure 'trouble' from the other two coalitions. What's PDI-P's strategy then?
It's better for us to form a small coalition with only a few parties, which will remain solid until the end of the five-year term rather than a big coalition that will fight among itself.
Our 10-years' experience as an opposition party may help us deal with such trouble.
What are the criteria for a vice presidential candidate for PDI-P?
In the past two elections we have relied on mass- or institutional- support bases in determining our vice presidential candidates. But, we failed to win the [2004 and 2009] presidential elections.
So, in my opinion, the State leadership duet [president-vice president] must be able to feel and win the hearts and minds of the people. We're now evaluating vice presidential candidates to be partnered with Pak Jokowi.
