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Congress set to appoint Megawati as chairwoman, discuss possible new roles for Puan, Prananda
The upcoming PDI-P congress is expected to discuss the establishment of a new board of management and new posts, namely chief executive and deputy chairman, with Megawati's children reportedly being the strongest candidates to assume the roles.
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Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri (right, front), President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (left) and Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani (right) walk into the party congress in Bali last year. (JP/Zul Trio Anggono)
E
ither Puan Maharani and Prananda Prabowo, the children of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, will likely take over the party leadership in the future, but they may have to wait a few more years as the upcoming party congress is set to appoint Megawati as its chairwoman for another term.
PDI-P executives have said that the party national congress, which will start on Thursday in Bali, will extend Megawati’s term as the chairwoman through a deliberation for consensus instead of a voting mechanism. According to party executive Aria Bima, 33 out of 34 PDI-P regional branches from across the country agreed to Megawati leading the party for another four years. The congress has been pushed forward from the initial date of April 2020.
The congress is also expected to discuss the establishment of a new board of management and new posts, namely chief executive and deputy chairman, with Puan and Prananda reportedly being the strongest candidates to assume the roles, which will oversee day-to-day affairs.
Puan is currently the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister and is set to take over the House of Representatives speaker post, while Prananda serves as head of the party’s creative economy division.
Some senior members of the party, however, said the posts had not been discussed at the party board level yet.
"I don’t see the urgency in creating the posts as of now as the current [management] structure is enough. [However] It will certainly be discussed at the congress, but it is unlikely to be implemented [soon]," party executive Aria Bima said on Friday.
Aria said Megawati was set to groom her children and later decide who would become her successor at the next party congress, scheduled for 2024.
