Gibran said his younger brother would run for an executive office. “There, I’ve leaked [the information]. I am confused and astonished,” said the mayor of Surakarta in Central Java, as reported by Detik on Wednesday.

Asked whether Kaesang would run for Surakarta mayor, Gibran said he had no idea.

“Ask him yourself. The most important thing is I have given my blessing,” Gibran told reporters in Javanese.

Jokowi started his career in politics as the mayor of his hometown in 2005, before running and winning the Jakarta gubernatorial in 2012, and eventually the 2014 presidential election. Gibran was elected as Surakarta mayor in 2021.

Earlier in the week, Gibran said that his younger brother revealed his intention in politics during a family dinner at Jokowi’s private residence in Surakarta on Monday.

“Kaesang seems to be exploring; he is still asking here and there. He asked me, asked our father,” Gibran told reporters on Tuesday at Surakarta City Hall as quoted by Tempo. 

Kaesang has previously said that he was not interested in entering politics because he was taking care of his business. 

The 27-year-old has ventured into the food and beverage business prior to graduating from university by launching several brands, such as Sang Pisang and Ternakopi, as well as Mangkok Ku, a restaurant that was founded by the brothers in collaboration with chef Arnold Poernomo. 

He is also listed as the majority shareholder of the Persis Solo football club, which plays in the country’s top league Liga 1, along with State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir.

Kaesang's interest in politics, Gibran claimed, may have arisen after he often became involved in his father’s various activities, including when observing urban developments in Surakarta, which is popularly known as Solo.

"Yesterday, we did invite him to do some observation in Solo Safari, Solo Techno Park, Ngarsopuro, and it turns out that that has sparked his interest. He basically showed interest to contribute and to assist,” Gibran said on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Surakarta mayor invited his father, his mother First Lady Iriana Widodo and his children Jan Ethes and Lembah Manah to a tour in the newly revamped wildlife-park Solo Safari.

Gibran said he never tried to sway his younger brother to enter politics, adding cheekily that he “does not want to have more competitors”, but highlighted his brother’s ability to learn quickly, which he said was evident in Kaesang’s style in leading local football-club Persis Solo.

“From my own assessment, Kaesang worked hard for the team and the PSSI extraordinary congress. He is intensely involved; I might argue that Kaesang is able [to enter politics],” Gibran said

‘Ready’ to run for governor in 2024

On his own political career, Gibran, has said that he was ready to join for a governor race in 2024 if nominated by the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri. Like his father, Gibran is a member of the ruling party.

"Yes, I'm ready, but [we'll have to wait] for the chairwomen's [instruction]. Once again, I am still learning, I still need a lot of input from fellow seniors," Gibran said last Thursday as quoted by Kompas.

Speculation has been rife that Gibran will also seek to follow in his father’s footsteps by running for Jakarta governor after a PDI-P’s central board executive Eriko Sotarduga said internal support had been growing for Gibran and Social Affairs Minister Tri “Risma” Rismaharini to receive the party’s nomination for the governorship.

The Central Java governorship, a position currently held by his fellow PDI-P member Ganjar Pranowo, has been cited as another possibility. 

A survey by pollster Charta Politika in October 2022 found Gibran to be the most-popular possible contender for Central Java governor with 37.7 percent of respondents favoring him.

Both positions are often considered a springboard to the presidency.

Gibran however stopped short of commenting on which gubernatorial race he planned to enter, saying that it rests with the party’s decision and the public take whether to nominate him.

“It is not me who decides. We have to wait for the party’s decision. We have to see the public demands. If we have ambition but are not favored by the people, then it would be a waste,” Gibran said.

He later took the opportunity to praise the previous and sitting administration of the two provinces instead and stressed that he wanted to focus first on completing his working programs during his mayoral tenure.

 "Programs from the previous administration must also be continued and I think that Central Java and DKI Jakarta are currently in good hands. In the future Jakarta will actually become the center of the economy, [with] Central Java as the [country’s] food barn," he said.

Gibran said he wanted to focus on his current programs for Surakarta.  “Let the gubernatorial election, presidential election matters [be discussed] later," he added.

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