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View all search resultsPDI-P steps up criticism of Prabowo's silence on US-Israel war against Iran
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Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri (center) delivers a speech on Aug. 17, 2025, at an event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Independence Day at the party's headquarters in Jakarta. (Antara/Yulius Satria Wijaya)
T
he quasi-opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has stepped up criticism of government programs and policy decisions, including questioning President Prabowo Subianto’s silence on the escalating Middle East crisis, signaling a shift toward a more assertive counterbalance in the absence of strong legislative opposition.
Since Prabowo took office more than a year ago, the PDI-P, the largest party in the government-controlled legislature, with 110 out of 580 seats, has avoided calling itself an opposition party despite being the only party outside Prabowo’s big ruling coalition, choosing instead to declare itself the “balancing force”.
Its muted response to the government’s controversial policies during Prabowo’s first year in office has disappointed many who expected the party to act as a strong opposition, but its recent pivot on key issues indicates it is starting to adopt a more critical and assertive role, analysts said.
In a statement on X, PDI-P spokesperson Mohamad Guntur Romli questioned Prabowo’s silence on the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following the United States-Israeli military strikes, describing the absence of an official condolence message as ethically problematic given the decades-long diplomatic relations between Jakarta and Tehran.
Guntur said that while Prabowo’s recent offer to travel to Tehran and mediate the escalating Middle East conflict was “commendable”, the lack of basic diplomatic courtesy has raised questions about whether the initiative was aimed more at polishing his image than genuine peacemaking.
“How can Indonesia act as a peace broker and visit Tehran if even basic courtesies, such as offering condolences, have not been extended?” he said, raising doubts about how such a move would be received by Iranian authorities.
Read also: Half a million Indonesians in limbo as Middle East conflict escalates
