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Analysis: Pramono to bridge Megawati, Jokowi’s path to reconciliation
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (left) accompanied by Cabinet secretary Pramono Anung prepares to lead a limited meeting (ratas) at the Bogor Palace in West Java, on Feb. 2, 2020. (Antara/Hafidz Mubarak A)
T
he Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) sprang a surprise in the final hours of candidate registration for the Jakarta gubernatorial election, choosing Pramono Anung over heavy favorites Anies Baswedan and Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama. The move is seen as opening space for reconciliation between PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and President Joko ''Jokowi'' Widodo.
The PDI-P secured the right to nominate a gubernatorial candidate of its own after the Constitutional Court lowered the threshold to contest regional head elections in a ruling that brought democracy back to life. The PDI-P will fight political parties grouped under the coalition in support of Prabowo Subiantor’s incoming administration.
Even though Jokowi still holds a PDI-P membership card, his family, such as his son Gibran Rakabuming Raka and son-in-law Bobby Nasution, are no longer PDI-P members. While Gibran is currently with no party and closely connected to the Golkar Party, Bobby has become a Gerindra Party politician.
As Jokowi leans his preference toward the Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM), Prabowo’s main supporter, Ridwan Kamil, former West Java governor, won unanimous support from the camp to run in Jakarta. Ridwan has consistently taken the third-favorite position in recent polls, behind Anies in the lead and Ahok coming in second.
This left the PDI-P with at least two strong candidates, Anies and Ahok.
While closely connected to Anies, who was governor of Jakarta from 2017 to 2022 and is well-known as an opponent of the current regime, the PDI-P had its own members, including Ahok (governor from 2014 to 2017), who is popular among Jakarta voters.
As it turned out, Mega preferred Pramono who never featured in any survey. Pramono is President Jokowi’s cabinet secretary, holding the post since 2015. He was also Megawati’s right-hand man when he held the PDI-P’s secretary-general post from 2005 to 2010, placing him in a strategic position between Jokowi and Megawati.
