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Parties balk at proposed Jokowi-led coalition
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (left) speaks with Defense Minister and then-presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto (right) before the inauguration of the National Defense Central Hospital (RSPPN) in Jakarta on Feb. 19, 2024. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
A
proposal to have President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo lead the coalition backing president-elect Prabowo Subianto has failed to gain traction among the political parties involved, posing a challenge to the outgoing leader’s efforts to maintain his political influence after he leaves office later this year.
While Jokowi’s decade-long presidency will end in October, some of his supporters have suggested that he should continue his political life as a power broker to maintain stability in relations among political elites for the incoming administration.
An early proponent of the idea was Jeffrie Geovanie of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), who suggested that the political parties in Prabowo’s camp should establish a permanent coalition emulating Malaysia’s Barisan Nasional and that Jokowi should lead it.
The PSI is a self-styled youth party chaired by Jokowi’s youngest son Kaesang Pangarep that has expressed strong loyalty to the outgoing President. The party failed to meet the threshold of votes required to win seats in the House of Representatives in the February election.
Jeffrie suggested that Jokowi would be a “just leader” for the proposed coalition, considering his reputation as a “solidarity maker” in his own government coalition during his presidency.
“If the coalition becomes effective, Prabowo will [be able to focus on] being a president because he doesn't need to think about political stability anymore,” Jeffrie said in a podcast interview published on the YouTube channel of former politician Zulfan Lindan.
Resistance
