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PDI-P denies Megawati-Jokowi rift
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has dismissed, once again, speculations of growing unease between its matriarch Megawati Soekarnoputri and President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo after a growing contingent of President’s loyal supporter groups threw support behind Gerindra Party-backed presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.
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Secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Hasto Kristiyanto (left) holds a meeting with Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka (right) in Jakarta on Monday. (The Jakarta Post/Antara)
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PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto said such an assumption was overblown and that Megawati and Jokowi had cultivated a stronger bond akin to a familial relationship over the years.
“That’s an exaggerated interpretation. The relationship between President Jokowi and Ibu Megawati has reached a level in which Pak Jokowi himself looks up to Ibu Megawati as his own mother,” Hasto said on Monday.
“[It’s] a relationship that has matured since he became [Surakarta] mayor, [Jakarta] governor and then became the [country’s] president for two terms. It's a very deep bond," he said.
Hasto stressed that the party chairwoman and Jokowi, who is a member of the PDI-P, still periodically engaged in “dialogues at various places that offered space for contemplation” despite outside maneuvering trying to sow seeds of division between the two figures.
“Such political dynamics have occurred since 2015, but it has been proven that with the resilience fostered by the two leaders in their relationship, [the two] were able to dodge various political scenarios aimed at dividing them," he said.
