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Analysis: PDI-P presidential candidate selection process a mere formality
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Chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Megawati Soekarnoputri speaks with (ki-ka) Chairwoman of Political and Security Affairs Puan Maharani and Chair of the UMKM, Creative Economy and Economics Division of Prananda Prabowo in the Determination of Regional Candidate Pair of Regional Heads in Jakarta, Wednesday, February 19 2020. Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) officially establishes 49 pairs of candidates for district / city and 1 provincial level to advance in the Regional Election in 2020. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has begun what it claims is the selection process to determine its presidential candidate, with talk of the party’s roster being narrowed to five currently unnamed party members. However, reflecting on PDI-P chair Megawati Soekarnoputri’s much talked about speech during the party’s 50th anniversary, the PDI-P’s presidential candidate selection process may well turn out to be little more than a formality.
The PDI-P is said to have picked the five-member shortlist after deliberation on the potential candidates’ “quality and track record” as party members. They had passed previous stages in the party’s internal selection process, knocking out cadres who once numbered in the dozens.
Though Megawati remains tight-lipped about the criteria of the PDI-P’s presidential candidate, reports have revealed that there are both general and special requirements set by the party in drafting the names of the cadres that they will nominate in the upcoming presidential election. The general requirements state that the cadres should have no problematic history with the PDI-P, while the special requirement made a point about the cadres’ quality, which the party is said to assess through interviews on various matters.
The month of March is reportedly when the five names will be cut down to three names, though the names will remain unspecified to the public. Following this, the “last cadre standing” is projected to be announced as the PDI-P’s presidential candidate by Megawati in June. The PDI-P said Megawati would not reflect on the candidates’ popularity based on surveys.
News of the PDI-P’s supposed selection process of its presidential candidate gives a behind-the-scenes look into the months leading up to the ruling party’s long-anticipated presidential candidate announcement. Yet this selection process may be a mere formality to paint the party’s presidential candidate decision as somewhat democratic.
During the PDI-P’s 50th anniversary gathering last month, Megawati gave a speech in which she stressed that as the party’s chairwoman, it was her prerogative to determine the PDI-P’s presidential candidate, outwardly stating it was “my business”. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had even chimed in during his own speech by assuring the party’s cadres that Megawati would be “wise” and “calculative” in deciding her choice.
It is said that Megawati has been struggling between naming her daughter, House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani, who repeatedly scores low in public opinion surveys, and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, who tops all public figures in surveys. Though Megawati did not name any presidential candidate during the event, the issue of female leadership that she addressed in her speech is said to signal her support for her daughter Puan’s presidential bid.
