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.

Jakarta Post

Analysis: Ganjar-Mahfud announcement amid Jokowi’s wavering support

Tenggara Strategics (The Jakarta Post)
Premium
Jakarta
Mon, October 23, 2023 Published on Oct. 20, 2023 Published on 2023-10-20T16:49:03+07:00

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!
Analysis: Ganjar-Mahfud announcement amid Jokowi’s wavering support Coordinating Political Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD during the Indonesia onward cabinet annoucement by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Wednesday, October 23, 2019. The lineup of Jokowi's second-term Cabinet, a mixture of old and new faces, professionals and politicians — including Jokowi’s erstwhile rival in April’s presidential election. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
Indonesia Decides

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the victor of the 2019 general election, has finally declared Mahfud MD to be the running mate of the party’s presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo for the 2024 election. That declaration, made amid President Joko ‘’Jokowi’’ Widodo’s shaky support for his fellow PDI-P member, was seen as the PDI-P asserting its confidence even if Jokowi eventually supports rival presidential contender Prabowo Subianto.

With the announcement, Indonesian voters have a clearer image of who will be on the 2024 presidential ballot paper after another candidate pair of Anies Baswedan and Muhaimin ‘’Cak Imin’’ Iskandar was revealed last month. All eyes are now turning to Prabowo Subianto, who is still mulling over a few alternatives, including Jokowi’s son and Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuning Raka, who is now eligible to be a vice-presidential candidate following a Constitutional Court ruling issued on Monday.

Megawati explained that Mahfud was a perfect fit for Ganjar as the former had a complete background of occupying all the executive, legislative and judiciary positions. Mahfud MD is the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister in Jokowi’s current cabinet. He served as a legislator from the National Awakening Party (PKB) from 2004-2009. After that, he served as Constitutional Court chief justice. In addition, Mahfud has strong ties with Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the biggest Muslim organization in Indonesia, and is confident that he is able to gather votes from the Muslim community, intellectuals and minority groups in the country. Because of his complete background, Mahfud was twice thought likely to be picked by Jokowi to be his vice-presidential candidate back in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections but was overridden by Jusuf Kalla and Ma’ruf Amin, respectively.

President Jokowi and his oldest son Gibran, both still card-carrying PDI-P members, were notably absent during the Mahfud announcement as the former was on an overseas tour to China and Saudi Arabia while the latter was intentionally not invited. Their absence has sharpened the view that Jokowi’s support is likely to fall behind Prabowo, rather than Ganjar.

For Gibran, his absence from the Mahfud announcement was his second consecutive absence from the PDI-P agenda after he did not show up at the opening ceremony of the PDI-P’s new office building in his own mayoral town of Surakarta, attended virtually by Megawati. The emergence of his name as one of the strongest candidates for Prabowo's running mate in the 2024 campaign also makes things even cloudier between Jokowi’s clan and the PDI-P.

Jokowi’s wavering support for his own party and Ganjar has been exposed through several events, among others being the recent announcement by Jokowi’s loyalist organization Pro-Jokowi, or Projo, of its support for Prabowo. Projo chief Budi Arie who is also Jokowi’s minister of communications and information, said that Projo’s backing for Prabowo was in line with Jokowi’s wishes. Although Jokowi himself has been working for Ganjar’s campaign strategy as PDI-P secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto claims, many have acknowledged that Jokowi will not go against his own supporters in Projo as this organization is regarded as his loyal defenders. In addition, the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), which is now led by President Jokowi’s youngest son Kaesang Pangarep, is inclined to support Prabowo.

Puan Maharani, Megawati’s daughter, has no idea where Jokowi’s support in the upcoming election lies. On another occasion, former general Andika Perkasa, Ganjar’s campaign official, predicted that Jokowi’s support will significantly reshape the political landscape among presidential candidates ahead of the upcoming election.

to Read Full Story

  • Unlimited access to our web and app content
  • e-Post daily digital newspaper
  • No advertisements, no interruptions
  • Privileged access to our events and programs
  • Subscription to our newsletters
or

Purchase access to this article for

We accept

TJP - Visa
TJP - Mastercard
TJP - GoPay

Redirecting you to payment page

Pay per article

Analysis: Ganjar-Mahfud announcement amid Jokowi’s wavering support

Rp 35,000 / article

1
Create your free account
By proceeding, you consent to the revised Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.
Already have an account?

2
  • Palmerat Barat No. 142-143
  • Central Jakarta
  • DKI Jakarta
  • Indonesia
  • 10270
  • +6283816779933
2
Total Rp 35,000

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

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!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.