In a bid to foster unity amongst the members of his alliance, Prabowo went on a political safari that included, among other activities, sharing a meal with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and First Lady Iriana at the Merdeka Palace as well as attending the private gatherings of Golkar Party leader Airlangga Hartarto, Golkar advisory board chair Aburizal Bakrie, National Mandate Party (PAN) chief Zulkifli Hasan, Gerindra Party executive Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and visiting the private residence of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhyono of the Democratic Party.

The Feb. 14 presidential election results, which saw Prabowo and his running mate, President Jokowi’s eldest son Gibran Rakabumnig Raka, win by landslide, are currently being disputed at the Constitutional Court. Aside from Jokowi’s endorsement, Prabowo and Gibran’s victory was attributed to the nine-party coalition, consisting of Gerindra, Golkar, PAN, the Democrats, the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) and other smaller parties, including the Crescent Moon Party (PBB), the Gelora Party, the Garuda Party and the Prima Party. With many supporters to appease, it must be important for Prabowo to consolidate the members of the Indonesia Onward Coalition (KIM) as they will make up the incoming administration once Prabowo is inaugurated in October.

Prabowo’s grasp on the House of Representatives has yet to be determined, however. Only Gerindra and three other pro-Prabowo parties obtained enough votes to enter the legislature, while the PDI-P won the popular vote in the 2024 legislative race, despite its presidential ticket, Ganjar Pranowo and Mahfud MD, losing the presidential race.

Even though the PDI-P has been touted as a potential opposition party to the Prabowo presidency, a stance it has ample experience with considering the 10 years the party spent as an opposition to Yudhyono’s presidency, Prabowo is trying to lobby the biggest party.

Representatives of both Gerindra and the PDI-P have reiterated that the two parties and their leaders continue to maintain communications despite being rivals during the elections. Gibran also confirmed this himself recently, adding that discussions were underway. Moreover, Prabowo’s campaign manager Rosan Roeslani recently met with Megawati on two separate occasions, signaling a meeting between the two party leaders is imminent.

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Gerindra and Golkar politicians have welcomed the idea of joining hands with the PDI-P. According to Golkar deputy chairman Bambang Soesatyo, having all political parties join Prabowo’s coalition would allow the incoming government to function well, arguing that the next administration must continue to embrace the spirit of gotong royong (mutual cooperation). PAN chairman Zulkifli concurred, adding that a government would be more efficient and effective without an opposition force.

What’s More

The main concern about a government without opposition is the absence of checks and balances. Although Bambang believes that opposition parties are not necessary for maintaining these checks and balances, experts are afraid that an unchallenged government would be rife with abuse of power, corruption and authoritarianism.

Transparency International Indonesia researcher Sahel Muzzammil explained that a lack of opposition parties would also result in a lack of vertical accountability. More importantly, without strong opposition, politicians would have inadequate policy responsiveness toward voters, which has been evident under the Jokowi administration.

Nearly throughout his presidency, Jokowi enjoyed the outright majority support of the House of Representatives, leaving the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the Democratic Party playing an ineffective opposition role. This allowed speedy approval of the House for controversial bills, including the 2019 revision of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law, the Job Creation Law and the new Criminal Code Law that all fueled widespread protests.

Meanwhile, political and international security expert from Murdoch University, Ian Wilson, noted that Indonesian politics had always been transactional in nature and that an opposition force does not necessarily indicate a party set on locking horns with the government. In fact, the opposition may even provide political parties with more bargaining power.

What we’ve heard

A source from the PDI-P confirmed that Prabowo intended to invite the ruling party to join his coalition. These efforts have been extended to a cabinet member who is from the PDI-P.

Prabowo also tried to request a meeting with PDI-P chairwoman Megawati, which has yet to be granted. The source said that the PDI-P was still evaluating the current political dynamics, including Prabowo’s relationship with President Jokowi, whom the party currently has strained ties with. Moreover, the PDI-P currently believes that Jokowi still has a strong influence on Prabowo’s track record during the 2024 presidential election, according to the source.

The source added that Jokowi also has a say in the number of cabinet seats to be offered to Prabowo’s coalition members. It was reported that a cabinet seat has been offered to the PDI-P but that Jokowi is said to have a veto right to determine the number of ministerial seats the party would receive.

Disclaimer

This content is provided by Tenggara Strategics in collaboration with The Jakarta Post to serve the latest comprehensive and reliable analysis on Indonesia’s political and business landscape. Access the latest edition of Tenggara Backgrounder to read the articles listed below:

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1. No end in sight for cold war between Jokowi and Megawati
2. Waiting for justice in dispute over presidential election results

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1. Indonesia denies normalization with Israel to enter OECD
2. Thousands of mining permits revoked, concerns over reissue
3. Rupiah plummets following Iran-Israel conflict escalation

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