Indonesia’s parties jostle for Widodo gov’t positions
LE ADERS of Indonesia’s main politica l parties held two closely watched meetings last week, as they jost led for possible leadership positions in the incoming administration of President Joko Widodo.
The head of Indonesia’s opposition party Gerindra, Prabowo Subianto, met Megawati Sukarnoputri, chief of ruling party Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), last Wednesday - two weeks after Prabowo met Joko.
The meetings, with Joko and with Megawati, set tongues wagging t hat Prabowo is seek ing support to have Gerindra leaders appointed as Speaker of the prestigious People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) and severa l ministeria l posts in the Indonesian Cabinet.
On t he flip side, t he reg ular buzz that Gerindra and Prabowo are lobby ing for top posts in Joko’s coalition appeared to have unsettled severa l polit ica l parties a l lied to t he Indonesian president.
Leaders of four of t he PDI-P’s main a llies - t he National Democratic Part y
(NasDem), Golkar, National Awakening Party (PKB) and United Development Part y (PPP) - met on Monday, raising whispers t hat they are unhappy with the push by Prabowo.
These a llies bitterly fought against Prabowo and Gerindra in the months leading to t he April presidentia l and legislative elections won by Joko, and are eyeing some of the top posts for their own parties.
There has a lso been constant speculation t hat t wo ot her parties t hat are not in Joko’s coalition, t he Democratic Part y led by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the National Mandate Part y (PAN), might a lso join t he fold soon.
Navigate unscathed
The jockey ing for positions is expected to continue over the next three months until Joko is of ficia lly sworn in as president on Oct 20, but analysts contacted by The Sunday Times said Joko should be able to nav igate t hrough t he current jost ling unscathed.
Mada Sukmajati, a politica l science lecturer at t he Gadjah Mada Universit y in Yog ya karta, said t he reelected president has good polit ica l capita l t his time around as he has done well in t he past five years.
“For t his second term, Jokowi is more confident and has greater bargaining position in fending of f pressures from his part y PDI-P. He has adequate backing from ot her polit ica l parties,” Mada told The Sunday Times, adding quick ly t hat it does not mean Joko could reject a ll requests made by PDI-P.
While Mr Joko is a leader in t he PDI-P, ultimate power in t he nationa list part y sits wit h Megawati, a former Indonesianpresident and daughter of the count r y’s founding president Sukarno.
Joko will need solid backing from the 575-seat People’s Representative Council (DPR), or Parliament, to push through bureaucratic reforms, boost investments and accelerate businesspermit processes as he has promised.
A weak backing from his a llies would slow down the administration’s agenda.
The leaders of t he four a llied parties who met last Monday said they remain united behind t he ruling coalition, but sent a clea r message to Prabowo’s Gerindra.
“At the moment, the coalition is ver y solid, strong and sound. If a new part y comes in, it must add solidit y, increase strength and increase t he healt h of t he coa lition,” NasDem secretar ygenera l Johnny G. Plate said last Thursday.
Golkar chairman Airlangga Hartarto said there was no split in t he Joko-led a lliance but t hat first priorit y for posts must be given to ex ist ing a l lies.
He said: “We prioritise coa lition members. All members of t he coalition should be accommodated.”
Firman Manan, a polit ica l a na lyst f rom Padjadjara n Universit y in West Java, told The Sunday Times t hat it would be dif ficult for Joko to meet ever y par t y leader’s wishes, but he would certa inly make ever yone relat ively happy, a nd keep t he coa l it ion toget her.
“There would be dynamics, but I don’t see a scenario where any politica l part y backing him now leaves t he coalition later,” Firman said.