Asian Angle | Indonesia election: a rift appears between Jokowi and Megawati in the battle of the kingmakers

Megawati and Jokowi are from the same party, but it is apparent that they have differing views on their preferred candidate

Jokowi has no direct control of any political party, unlike his predecessors, and his strength lies in his strong supporter and volunteer networks

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Indonesian President Joko Widodo (right) and former president Megawati Sukarnoputri (left) are the two “kingmakers” that could determine the next president of Indonesia. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:30am, 3 Jun 2023

There are two kingmakers who could determine who will be the next president of Indonesia and they have competing interests.

The first is Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) General Chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri. PDI-P, which won 128 – or 22.26 per cent – of the lower house seats in the 2019 election, is the only party eligible to nominate a presidential candidate for 2024 without forming a coalition with other parties. On April 21, the party named Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo as its preferred candidate.

The other is President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. As president, Jokowi may be able to influence five of the seven governing coalition parties in their choice of 2024 presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Even if the PDI-P and media baron Surya Paloh’s National Democrats (NasDem) are not under Jokowi’s sway, the other five parties would view Jokowi’s gravity-defying popularity and his network of committed relawan (campaign volunteers) as assets.

Megawati and Jokowi are from the same party but it is apparent that they have differing views on their preferred candidate. Jokowi’s speech on May 14 during the Musyawarah Rakyat (Musra, or people’s discussion) organised by his supporters suggests that he does not necessarily support Ganjar.

PDI-P Chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri places a ceremonial hat on Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo’s head after he was selected by the party as its candidate for the 2024 presidential election. Photo: AFP

The Musra poll was conducted in 30 provinces to informally collect information on the choices of volunteers and the public on their preferred candidates. The results showed Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto and Ganjar as the two preferred candidates. The indeterminate results might in turn reflect Jokowi’s ambiguous attitude towards both.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Asian Angle | Indonesia election: a rift appears between Jokowi and Megawati in the battle of the kingmakers

Asian Angle | Indonesia election: a rift appears between Jokowi and Megawati in the battle of the kingmakers