TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Hasto’s arrest raises questions about his successor
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto waves to reporters before an interrogation session at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in Jakarta on Jan. 13, 2025. The antigraft body has named Hasto a bribery suspect in a case pertaining to a transfer of a House of Representatives seat. (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
T
he arrest of a loyal aide to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri has raised questions about who will be her choice for the vacant position of secretary-general of the only de facto opposition party ahead of its congress.
PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto, who played a central role in the party’s decision-making process over the past decade, was arrested last month in a protracted bribery investigation that the party insists is politically motivated.
After the arrest, Megawati decided not to name an acting secretary-general and instead she will take over control of the party’s executive board. She said in a letter to party members that “all activities and operations of the party central executive board are under the direct control of the party chairwoman.”
The PDI-P matriarch also assigned two party executives, Ahmad Basarah and Ronny Talapessy, to take on the role of the party’s spokespersons, a job that was previously handled by Hasto as well.
Basarah is known as a Megawati loyalist, while Ronny is a lawyer who has provided Hasto with legal counsel in the corruption investigation.
Hasto’s arrest has prompted speculation about who Megawati will pick to succeed him in the upcoming party congress in April, where the chairwoman will likely be reelected and unveil a new central executive board lineup.
Read also: KPK detains Hasto as PDI-P looks to fight back
