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Jokowi’s sons shift into higher political gear
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President Joko Widodo (second right), First Lady Iriana Widodo (second left) and sons Gibran Rakbuming Raka and Kaesang Pangarep (right) take part in a traditional ceremony during preparations for the wedding of Jokowi's daughter in Surakarta, Central Java, on Nov. 7, 2017. (AFP/Anwar Mustafa)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is poised to see both his sons follow in his political footsteps in the 2024 simultaneous elections.
His youngest, Kaesang Pangarep, is planning to contest the regional head elections, while his eldest Gibran Rakabuming Raka says he is ready to run in a gubernatorial race.
Gibran said his younger brother would also run for a regional office. “There, I’ve leaked it. I am confused and astonished,” the Surakarta mayor told reporters in the Central Java city, as quoted by Detik.com on Wednesday.
Asked whether Kaesang was planning to run for Surakarta mayor, Gibran said he had no idea. “Ask him yourself. The most important thing is, I have given [him] my blessing,” Gibran responded in Javanese.
Jokowi embarked on his political career by clinching the mayoral seat of his hometown in 2005. He then went on to win the Jakarta governorship in 2012 and just two years later, the 2014 presidential election.
Gibran won the Surakarta mayoralty during the 2021 regional elections, 16 years after his father’s career-making victory.
Earlier, Gibran said Kaesang had revealed his political ambitions during a family dinner on Monday at Jokowi’s private residence in Surakarta.
“Kaesang seems to be exploring [his options]. He is still asking [around]. He asked me, asked our father,” Gibran told reporters on Tuesday at Surakarta City Hall, as quoted by Tempo.
Kaesang has previously said he was not interested in entering politics, because he was busy taking care of his businesses in the food and beverage (F&B) industry.
Now 27, Kaesang launched several F&B ventures before he had graduated university, including Sang Pisang and Ternakopi. With elder brother Gibran, he also founded Mangkok Ku restaurant in collaboration with celebrity chef and culinary entrepreneur Arnold Poernomo.
He is also listed as the majority shareholder of the Persis Solo soccer club based in the family’s hometown, which is in the country’s top league, Liga 1. Another shareholder in the club is State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir, who also organized Kaesang’s wedding last December.
Gibran thought that his younger brother’s interest in politics grew after observing some of their father’s activities, such as when the President inspected urban developments in Surakarta, also known as Solo.
“Yesterday, we invited him [as an observer] to Solo Safari, the Solo Techno Park, Ngarsopuro, and that turned out to spark his interest [in] contributing and helping,” Gibran said on Tuesday.
The day before, the Surakarta mayor had invited his father and his mother, First Lady Iriana Widodo, to take a tour with him and his children Jan Ethes and Lembah Manah of the newly revamped Solo Safari wildlife park.
Gibran said he had never tried to influence his younger brother to enter politics, jokingly adding that he didn’t “want more competitors”. But he also noted that his brother possessed an ability to learn quickly, which was evident in Kaesang leadership style at Persis Solo.
“From my own assessment, Kaesang has worked hard for the team and the [national soccer association’s] extraordinary congress. He is intensely involved,” Gibran said, and he “could argue” that Kaesang had the capacity to enter politics.
‘Ready’ to run for governor
As for his own political career, Gibran has said he is ready to contest a gubernatorial race in 2024 if he were nominated by Megawati Soekarnoputri, the chairwoman of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) of which he is a member, like his father.
“Yes, I’m ready, but [we must wait] for the [chairwoman’s decision]. Once again, I am still learning, I still need a lot of input from my fellow seniors,” he said last Thursday, as quoted by Kompas.
Speculation has been rife that Gibran is looking to follow in his father’s footsteps ever since PDI-P executive Eriko Sotarduga said that internal support had been growing for the party to nominate Gibran as its Jakarta gubernatorial candidate, paired with Social Affairs Minister Tri “Risma” Rismaharini.
The Central Java governorship, which is currently held by fellow PDI-P member Ganjar Pranowo, has been cited as another possibility for Gibran.
An October 2022 survey by pollster Charta Politika found that Gibran was leading the popularity contest for Central Java governor, with 37.7 percent of respondents favoring him.
The top seats in Jakarta and Central Java are generally seen as a springboard to the presidency.
Gibran stopped short of indicating which gubernatorial seat he planned to contest, however, saying that it was not his choice.
“We have to wait for the party’s decision. We have to see the public’s demand. If we have the ambition but not the people’s favor, then it is [futile],” he said.
He later praised the two provinces’ previous and current administrations, and stressed that he wanted to focus on completing his work programs for Surakarta during his mayoral term.
“The programs from the previous administration must also be continued, and I think that Central Java and Jakarta are currently in good hands. In the future, Jakarta will become the economic center, Central Java the [country’s] food barn,” said Gibran.
“Let the matter of the gubernatorial election, presidential election [come] after,” he added.
