Will Jokowi seek to lead Indonesia’s oldest party to ‘secure his legacy’ post-presidency?
- The outgoing president may quit his party of two decades, after his tacit support for Prabowo Subianto in the election left the PDI-P with an ‘axe to grind’
- Given the potential decline in his power and popularity after he exits office, Jokowi understands the need to secure a strong ‘political vehicle’ like Golkar, observers say
With Indonesia President Joko Widodo set to leave office after 10 years in power, observers say he is seeking to further maintain his political influence, both through his sons’ careers and a potential bid to lead the country’s oldest political party, Golkar.
“[Widodo] wants to secure his legacy and the interests of his family, and as incumbent, we have seen that has been easy for him to do, but it will be harder when he is no longer in power, so securing a political vehicle is important,” said Ian Wilson, a senior fellow at the Indo-Pacific Research Centre at Murdoch University in Perth.
Widodo, 62, is poised to hand over the reins to presumptive president-elect Prabowo Subianto in October, following the defence minister’s apparent triumph in the February 14 election. Indonesia’s Election Commission is expected to release the official results by Wednesday.
Prabowo’s victory was largely attributed to Widodo’s tacit support for his candidacy, including political manoeuvring to secure his son’s nomination as Prabowo’s running mate, and allegations that he directed state officials to distribute government welfare resources to procure votes for Prabowo.
Despite this, analysts say Widodo may not get a significant political position when Prabowo takes office, leading him to look towards making other arrangements to consolidate his power.