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Megawati’s ‘calculated’ nomination flips party script
PDI-P insider suggests that chairwoman Megawati’s decision to nominate Ganjar was months in the making, predicated on the ultimate loyalty test that was drawn out amid enticing offers of support from elsewhere.
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Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle chairman Megawati Soekarnoputri (left) puts a skullcap on Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo after he is selected by the country's largest political party as its candidate for the 2024 presidential election in Bogor, West Java, on April 21, 2023. ( AFP/Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P))
The decision by Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) matron Megawati Soekarnoputri to nominate party member Ganjar Pranowo as presidential candidate before Idul Fitri appeared to catch most observers off guard and was thought to have been motivated by a turn in the tide of public opinion in the aftermath of the loss of the right to host the FIFA Under-20 World Cup soccer tournament.
But at least one PDI-P politician has since suggested that it was a highly calculated decision that was months in the making, predicated on the ultimate loyalty test for Ganjar, drawn out amid enticing offers of outside support for the popular Central Java governor.
As the kingmaker who catapulted President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo into high office, political experts suggest that Megawati was faced with the tough choice of paving the way for another political “outsider” to help the PDI-P win an historic hat-trick in 2024 or installing her heir to maintain the Sukarno dynasty’s grip on the party.
Prior to being groomed for leadership, Jokowi was the little-known mayor of Surakarta in Central Java. His rise to power, first as Jakarta governor and now as president, would have been impossible without Megawati’s support.
So why did the PDI-P matriarch finally bite the bullet?
Read also: Indonesia looks set for three-horse, two-round 2024 raceCalculated risks
Accompanied by Jokowi and her two children, Prananda Prabowo and Puan Maharani, Megawati officially gave Ganjar the mandate to run in the 2024 presidential race at Batu Tulis Palace in Bogor, West Java, on April 21, coinciding with Kartini Day and the unofficial first day of the Islamic holiday of Idul Fitri.
