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Prabowo would ‘respect’ PDI-P as opposition
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President Prabowo Subianto (left), accompanied by Golkar Party chairman Bahlil Lahadalia (second right) and some singers, performs a song during an event commemorating the Golkar Party's 60th anniversary in Sentul, Bogor, West Java, on Dec.12, 2024. (Antara/Aditya Pradana Putra)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto has said that if the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chooses to officially assume the role of opposition to his government, he would respect the party’s decision.
Prabowo made the statement during an event commemorating the Golkar Party’s 60th anniversary on Thursday evening. House Speaker Puan Maharani, the daughter of PDI-P matriarch Megawati, was in attendance.
As the President welcomed attendees and party leaders in his speech, he did not fail to acknowledge Puan, saying he had no problem with the presence of a member of the only de-facto opposition party to his government.
"I feel comfortable having Mbak Puan here tonight,” Prabowo said at the event, which was broadcast live on Golkar’s YouTube channel.
“I respect the PDI-P,” he went on to say. “Although I cherish the idea of national unity, which is also among Bung Karno’s teachings, I respect that for democracy, there may need to be someone outside the governing coalition as a check and balance.”
Prabowo was referring to the nation’s founding father Sukarno, Megawati’s father.
