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View all search resultsAnalysis: PDI-P’s nebulous stance risks it becoming in-between party
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'Ideological party': Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri welcomes secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto on Saturday before the closing session of the party's congress in Nusa Dua, Bali. Just days before his appearance in the congress, Hasto, who was convicted of bribery on July 25, received amnesty from President Prabowo Subianto. (Antara/Monang Sinaga)
T
he Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) continues to be ambivalent in its stance toward President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, with party matriarch Megawati Soekarnputri declaring it is neither part of the coalition government nor in the opposition role.
The PDI-P, which came first in the last three general elections, is torn between the two poles. The party’s two-day congress from Aug. 1 in Bali did not settle the question and instead sowed confusion among its rank and file, which could undermine its leading position in the 2029 elections.
Megawati’s flip-flopping statements at the congress did not help, either. In opening remarks immediately after she was reappointed the party chair by acclamation, she instructed her party to support the Prabowo administration. But in her closing statement, she declared the PDI-P would settle in the role of a “balancer” and would not be joining the ruling coalition, leaving party officials to explain and articulate what this means over the next few days.
The PDI-P is the only political party out of the eight with seats in the House of Representatives that is not part of the coalition government, although it has a long-standing invitation from Prabowo to join, which would entitle it to some cabinet posts. The party won the 2024 legislative election, but its candidate Ganjar Pranowo lost the presidential race.
The congress was already delayed by several months as the party awaited the outcome of the corruption trial of its former secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto, as well as to see whether the President would lend his support. The congress went ahead the day after Prabowo granted amnesty to Hasto on July 31, just a week following his conviction for bribing electoral officials in 2019.
Prabowo’s gesture was obviously not good enough for Megawati, who has yet to return the ball in her court. Rumors say the deal fell through over how many and which cabinet positions were on offer. As the largest party in the House, the PDI-P refuses to be a junior partner in the government. On the other hand, those parties that have been supporting Prabowo throughout are likely to protest if the PDI-P is given a greater number of positions.
Prabowo’s big-tent coalition might have all but one House faction, but it also counts on the support of almost all major special interest groups, including Muslim organizations, businesses, the military and the police. Meanwhile the PDI-P has 110 House seats, or 16.7 percent, which is hardly enough to be a balancing factor against the formidable force of the Prabowo administration.
