(Jakarta Post) PDI-P Congress to Reinstate Megawati as Chairwoman

12/12/2018

Confirming predictions that Megawati Soekarnoputri was unlikely to face any opposition at the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) congress this week, the congress committee said Monday that the event’s main agenda was to reaffirm the matriarch as chairwoman.

Wayan Koster, head of the PDI-P Bali and local congress organizing committee chairman, told reporters on Monday that the congress would ensure that Megawati kept leading the party as no schedule had been made for a chairperson election at the party’s fourth congress, which is slated for April 8 to 12.

“At the congress, we will simply appoint Ibu Megawati as the PDI-P chairwoman for 2015-2020, as decided during the national meeting in Semarang last year,” Koster said.

Megawati has been the chairwoman since the party’s establishment in 1998. Koster said it was unanimously agreed upon at the party’s national meeting in Semarang last year to appoint Megawati.

Megawati is scheduled to be appointed as chairwoman on April 10.

Koster also said there was no plan to elect new a secretary-general as Mega would choose the person. “It’s the prerogative of Ibu Mega,” Koster said, adding that there was also no plan to elect a deputy chairperson or executive chairperson.

Koster acknowledged that several people had been suggested to fill the position of secretary-general, including Hasto Kristiyanto, Ahmad Basarah and Pramono Anung.

A study released last week by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) shows that the daughter of first president Sukarno will not obtain absolute support from local chapter leaders, unlike in the past. The study concluded that 31.5 percent of the 467 PDI-P chapter leaders would prefer a new leader, suggesting that Megawati would not win by acclamation, or support from every leader.

Koster, however, has doubts about the study results. “Maybe those [saying so] were branch party leaders who didn’t attend the party’s national meeting last year,” he said.

The fourth PDI-P congress will be attended by 1,660 PDI-P delegates from across Indonesia, as well as 122 observers from several organizations.

A number of party branch chairmen have expressed support for Megawati, including South Sumatra chapter chairman Giri Ramanda Kiemas and East Java chairman Kusnadi. “We will support the one and only candidate, Megawati,” Kusnadi said as quoted by Antara news agency.

The CSIS study suggested that Megawati accommodate growing sentiment within her party that she share power with younger members of the party during her next five-year term.

Last month, Poltracking Indonesia conducted a similar study that concluded that Jokowi was much more popular within the party than either Megawati and Puan.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/04/07/pdi-p-congress-reinstate-megawati-chairwoman.html

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(Jakarta Post) PDI-P Congress to Reinstate Megawati as Chairwoman