JAKARTA. Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) presidential candidate Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on Saturday that reports of a rift within the party were untrue and that suggestions that he had been asked to leave a party meeting were false.PDI-P legislator and media team member Eva Kusuma Sundari said in a statement that The Jakarta Post’s article published Saturday was untrue and misleading as the incident, in which Puan Maharani, the party’s general election head and daughter of party leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, reportedly dismissed Jokowi when he visited Megawati’s home on Jl. Teuku Umar in Central Jakarta on Wednesday evening, never happened.Jokowi said the meeting, which was held the evening after the legislative poll, was not even attended by Puan. “I have not met with Puan since the election,” Jokowi was quoted as saying by Eva. The PDI-P insisted that there was no rift between Puan and Jokowi and that it was now focusing on monitoring the regional vote counting, while Megawati and Jokowi would be preparing for the upcoming presidential election in July.Rumors of an internal rift emerged after the PDI-P failed to make a strong showing in the legislative election, securing only around 19 percent of the popular vote, far below its 27 percent target. On Saturday, the Post quoted a source within the PDI-P’s central board as saying that a heated debate had ensued inside Megawati’s house between rival supporters of Jokowi on the one hand and Puan on the other. PDI-P deputy secretary-general Hasto Kristianto, who was present at the meeting, also said the incident never took place. He said the PDI-P politicians attending Wednesday’s meeting were all pleased with the party’s achievement as suggested by many quick counts. “In the PDI-P, we are taught to run our politics in a civilized manner, according to which we uphold political ethics, good conscience and honesty,” he said on Saturday.“That’s the reason why such a despicable scene has never taken place [in the party], let alone Pak Jokowi’s alleged expulsion [from the meeting],” Hasto added. Eriko Sotarduga, another PDI-P politician who attended the meeting, confirmed that Puan was not present. “Mbak Puan stayed in Kebagusan [South Jakarta, where Megawati has another house] after Ibu Megawati left for Teuku Umar,” he told the Post.Apart from Hasto and Jokowi, Eriko said Gadjah Mada University (UGM) political scientist Cornelis Lay; Megawati’s son, Prananda Prabowo; University of Indonesia (UI) defense expert Andi Widjajanto; and Puan’s husband, Happy Hapsoro, had also been among Megawati’s guests at Wednesday’s meeting.
PDI-P nixes Jokowi/Puan rift claims
JAKARTA. Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) presidential candidate Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on Saturday that reports of a rift within the party were untrue and that suggestions that he had been asked to leave a party meeting were false.PDI-P legislator and media team member Eva Kusuma Sundari said in a statement that The Jakarta Post’s article published Saturday was untrue and misleading as the incident, in which Puan Maharani, the party’s general election head and daughter of party leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, reportedly dismissed Jokowi when he visited Megawati’s home on Jl. Teuku Umar in Central Jakarta on Wednesday evening, never happened.Jokowi said the meeting, which was held the evening after the legislative poll, was not even attended by Puan. “I have not met with Puan since the election,” Jokowi was quoted as saying by Eva. The PDI-P insisted that there was no rift between Puan and Jokowi and that it was now focusing on monitoring the regional vote counting, while Megawati and Jokowi would be preparing for the upcoming presidential election in July.Rumors of an internal rift emerged after the PDI-P failed to make a strong showing in the legislative election, securing only around 19 percent of the popular vote, far below its 27 percent target. On Saturday, the Post quoted a source within the PDI-P’s central board as saying that a heated debate had ensued inside Megawati’s house between rival supporters of Jokowi on the one hand and Puan on the other. PDI-P deputy secretary-general Hasto Kristianto, who was present at the meeting, also said the incident never took place. He said the PDI-P politicians attending Wednesday’s meeting were all pleased with the party’s achievement as suggested by many quick counts. “In the PDI-P, we are taught to run our politics in a civilized manner, according to which we uphold political ethics, good conscience and honesty,” he said on Saturday.“That’s the reason why such a despicable scene has never taken place [in the party], let alone Pak Jokowi’s alleged expulsion [from the meeting],” Hasto added. Eriko Sotarduga, another PDI-P politician who attended the meeting, confirmed that Puan was not present. “Mbak Puan stayed in Kebagusan [South Jakarta, where Megawati has another house] after Ibu Megawati left for Teuku Umar,” he told the Post.Apart from Hasto and Jokowi, Eriko said Gadjah Mada University (UGM) political scientist Cornelis Lay; Megawati’s son, Prananda Prabowo; University of Indonesia (UI) defense expert Andi Widjajanto; and Puan’s husband, Happy Hapsoro, had also been among Megawati’s guests at Wednesday’s meeting.