Title: PDIP‘s Ganjar Pranowo Defends Megawati‘s Consistency in Supporting Jokowi
Yayasan INTO School of Public Policies (YIPS), Yogyakarta — PDIP’s (Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle) chairman, Ganjar Pranowo, has praised the party’s chairwoman, Megawati Soekarnoputri, for her consistency in supporting Joko Widodo (Jokowi) despite recently removing him from the party.
Speaking at the Yogyakarta State University (UGM), Ganjar defended Megawati’s decision to wait until Jokowi’s term ended before removing him. "All calculations were made. Megawati is very consistent, having already stated, ‘We will support Jokowi until the end’," he said.
He believes Megawati’s decision is a mark of respect for Jokowi. "It’s a sign of her 100% support for Jokowi’s government. If she had removed him while he was still in power, people might say she’s inconsistent. But Megawati has shown her consistency and respect," he added.
Ganjar sees PDIP’s actions as a lesson for all party members to follow the rules and heed the party leadership, unless they wish to face a similar fate as Jokowi. "He didn’t follow the rules," Ganjar said of the former president.
On December 16, Megawati officially expelled Jokowi, along with his son Gibran Rakabuming and his son-in-law Bobby Nasution, from the PDIP. The decision was based on three separate decrees signed by Megawati and PDIP’s secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto on December 4, 2024.
The party accused Jokowi of abusing his power by interfering with the MPR (People’s Consultative Assembly) through his support for Gibran’s presidential bid in 2024 as Prabowo Subianto’s running mate.
Facing division within the party and the looming 2024 presidential election, Megawati’s decision has sparked intense debate and speculation within Indonesian politics.
