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PSI expects to win big next year. A perceived royal insult could jeopardize that plan
After years in the political wilderness, the PSI aims to get at least 4 percent of the vote in the legislative election, or at least 84 seats at the House of Representatives.
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Royal welcome: Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X (second left) and his wife Queen Hemas greet Japanese Emperor Naruhito (second right) at Regol Danaprtapa, the front gate of Yogyakarta Palace, on June 21, 2023. (Antara/Andreas Fitri Atmoko)
When the youth-oriented Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) tapped President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s youngest son Kaesang Pangarep to become its chairman in September, the party aimed for a big prize in next year’s legislative election.
After years in the political wilderness, the PSI aims to get at least 4 percent of the vote in the legislative election, or at least 84 seats at the House of Representatives.
And with the son of the one-time mayor of Surakarta being leader of the party, the PSI expects to win big in Central Java, one of President Jokowi’s strongholds.
But a recent comment made by senior party member Ade Armando could derail that plan.
In an attempt to deflect criticism over President Jokowi’s decision to allow his eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka to become the running mate of Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto in next year’s presidential election, which many analysts see as attempt to build a political dynasty, Ade said that the only place in the country which practiced dynastic politics was Yogyakarta.
Responding to a rally staged by students of the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University, some of whom wore T-shirts emblazoned with the message “Republic with a Sultanate Feel”, Ade issued a statement saying: “It’s ironic that they wore the T-shirts. They obviously come from a region that actually implements dynastic politics.”
Ade’s statement infuriated many in Yogyakarta, including Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, who, thanks to the province’s special autonomy law, automatically serves as governor without an election.
