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Megawati calls for unity amid alleged efforts to derail her leadership
In keeping with the ongoing narrative of turncoats attempting to undermine her leadership and reelection bid at the upcoming national congress, the PDI-P matriarch has called on any disillusioned members to simply leave the party.
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Megawati Soekarnoputri (left), chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), walks to the podium with her son and party senior official Prananda Prabowo on Jan. 10, 2024, during the party's 51st anniversary celebrations in Jakarta. (Antara/M Risyal Hidayat)
M
egawati Soekarnoputri has urged members who had lost faith in the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to resign immediately amid alleged attacks on her leadership ahead of the national congress in April, when the party is slated to hold its chairmanship race.
The party celebrated its 52nd anniversary on Friday with a renewed focus on internal consolidation against what it claimed were external efforts to cause friction ahead of the congress, following the party’s public fallout with former member Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
The PDI-P has seen the departure or expulsion of a growing number of prominent members over their support for rival candidates Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s eldest son, instead of the party-backed pair Ganjar Pranowo and Mahfud MD.
In a three-hour speech during the party’s anniversary celebrations on Friday, Megawati said the PDI-P would not be deterred by defectors.
"For those who are dissatisfied with the party, simply leave. At least [you] will still retain your honor [by leaving] instead of being fired. [...] Just be decisive and find another party,” she said.
“It’s exhausting dealing with [members] whose hearts and minds are elsewhere,” she continued, noting that keeping them around would be disrespectful to members who were committed to the party.
Relations between the PDI-P and Jokowi soured ahead of the presidential election last February. The party accused the then president of intervening in a controversial Constitutional Court ruling in October 2023 that paved the way for Gibran to run as Prabowo’s running mate, with the pair eventually going on to win the 2024 race with Jokowi’s tacit support.
