T

he appointment of well-qualified party members as heads of local administrations as well as local party branches and the nomination of then Jakarta governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo as presidential candidate indicate that the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is carry out regeneration.

Rebuffing criticism regarding the reelection of Megawati Soekarnoputri as party chairperson for the fourth consecutive time that many indicate the blocking of youthful aspiration in the party, young PDI-P politicians, including Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo and lawmaker Pramono Anung Wibowo, maintain that they owe their current positions to the ongoing regeneration mechanism within the PDI-P.

'€œI am no one but I was given a chance to contest the [Central Java] gubernatorial race,'€ said Ganjar. '€œSo it is not true that we, the younger generation of the party, are restricted from competing for the leadership. The opportunity is open to everyone and it'€™s our job to prove our competence.'€

Pramono, a former House of Representatives deputy speaker and current member of Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs, said that leadership training had in fact taken place in the party over the past 10 years.

Both Ganjar and Pramono were included among the young and potential PDI-P leaders who, according to recent studies by Jakarta-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Poltracking Indonesia, could possibly take over Megawati'€™s position as party chair.

A study by Pol-tracking Institue that involved 200 political experts in the country put Ganjar and Pramono in the second and third top position as the most desired leaders based on 10 characteristics: integrity and track record, competence and capability, vision, communication skills among the elites, ability to communicate with the public, acceptability, leadership achievement, ability to lead a party, ability to lead a political coalition and ability to lead the government.

The study, which was released to the public earlier this month in the lead-up to the PDI-P'€™s national congress in Bali, placed Jokowi in the top spot.

The study also included Ganjar among potential individuals to lead the party in addition to, among others, Megawati'€™s daughter Puan Maharani and Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo.

Megawati herself addressed the criticism of a lack of regeneration within the party soon after being reelected on Thursday.

'€œRegeneration doesn'€™t only refer to [younger] age and physical appearance. We have local leaders who are as old as me, but we also have young people in the same positions. They were selected through a consensus mechanism,'€ Megawati said.

She also said the party had a mechanism that enabled local party leaders to assess the performance of senior party politicians.

Megawati went on to blast the voting system, which she deemed as a '€œWestern'€ product and an anathema to the country'€™s indigenous culture.

'€œI don'€™t understand why the discussion on the party'€™s leadership regeneration revolves only around me. I didn'€™t appoint myself. The decision was made through a process that also involved members from the grassroots level,'€ Megawati said in an emotional speech after being reelected party chairperson.

Anticipating her retirement in the future, Megawati reassured that the PDI-P could be a training ground for future leaders.

Megawati declined to give details about the regeneration, only saying that the process was ongoing.

But more than age and capability, she said loyalty counted the most in the party.

'€œBeing capable is not enough to be a leader. The person must also prove loyal to win the position,'€ she said.