Budi Arie, who currently serves as cooperatives minister under President Prabowo Subianto, told reporters on Friday morning that the two politicians had in fact discussed ways to improve national unity.
udi Arie Setiadi, the leader of Projo, the largest group of supporters of Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, has rejected speculation that in a meeting with Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, the former president asked the Yogyakarta governor to broker a meeting with Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chair Megawati Soekarnoputri.
Budi Arie, who currently serves as cooperatives minister under President Prabowo Subianto, told reporters on Friday morning that the two politicians had in fact discussed ways to improve national unity.
"There was no such [discussion of politics]. It was just a regular discussion on national unity," Budi Arie said, as quoted by kompas.com.
Jokowi, who currently resides in Surakarta, 65 kilometers north of Yogyakarta, traveled on Wednesday to the city to meet with the sultan.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the sultan declined to give details on his conversation with the former president.
The meeting, however, sparked speculation that Jokowi had made another request to the royal to act as a go-between in a dialogue with Megawati.
In February of last year, the sultan said then-president Jokowi had asked him to be a mediator in a future meeting with the PDI-P matriarch.
Ties between Megawati and Jokowi hit a new low following the former's decision to back the nomination of his defense minister Prabowo Subianto instead of PDI-P candidate Ganjar Pranowo in the February 2024 presidential election.
In early January of this year, the PDI-P stripped Jokowi and Vice President Gibran Rakabuminng Raka, his son, of their membership in the party.
The move followed the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) decision to name PDI-P secretary general Hasto Kristiyanto a suspect in a graft case.
Many have speculated that Jokowi was ultimately behind the decision to name Hasto a suspect in the case to punish Hasto and the PDI-P for their tough stance on the former president and his family.
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