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.
Analysis: Megawati torn between Sukarno clan, party and national interests
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!
Chairwoman of the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Megawati Sukarnoputri gives a speech in the Determination of Regional Candidates for Regional Head Candidates in Jakarta, on Wednesday, February 19, 2020. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) officially appointed 49 pairs of district / city and 1 provincial-level regional head candidates for going forward in the Regional Head Election simultaneously in 2020. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
Megawati Soekarnoputri, the matriarch of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), is facing a dilemma in selecting the party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election. The ideal choice would be a candidate who would go on to win the election, take the party to new heights and sustain the reign of the Sukarno dynasty in Indonesian politics.
Alas, she may not find the ideal candidate that would do all three. Torn between protecting the interests of the clan, the party and the nation, Megawati may end up having to sacrifice one or two of these interests. The wrong choice could also mean losing all three.
Her choice boils down to two names: The popular Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo and Speaker of the House of Representatives Puan Maharani, her own daughter. Megawati has staved off pressures within the party to announce her decision, sooner rather than later, as two other figures have declared their candidacy and began canvassing support.
PDI-P is the only political party with an automatic right to nominate its presidential and vice-presidential candidates, having more than 20 percent of the House seats. Other parties have to form alliances to meet the threshold to name their candidates. As chair, Megawati made sure that she has the sole power to name the party’s candidate. Clearly, she wants to give the ticket to 49-year-old Puan to continue the family tradition of leading the country.
Megawati is the daughter of Indonesia’s first president Sukarno, who reigned from 1945 to 1966, while she was president from 2001 to 2004. At the age of 75, she is facing pressure to step down from the party leadership and make way for a younger leader. Succession in the party is another issue she is struggling with. But this is for later. For now, she has to decide on the party’s presidential nomination.
Ganjar should be the obvious choice. The 53-year-old governor consistently ranks in the top three in all surveys of the most-popular public figures for 2024, along with former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto. Anies and Prabowo have openly declared their intention to run even if they are not assured of the tickets yet
When Ganjar announced last week that he too was ready to run, he was quickly reprimanded by the PDI-P for defying the party’s line of not naming the candidate until Megawati speaks. Also given party disciplinary measures and a final warning was senior PDI-P politician and former Surakarta, Central Java, mayor F.X. Hadi Ruyatmo for speaking up in support of Ganjar’s nomination.
