PAN Rejoins Jokowi’s Ruling Coalition?
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo held a meeting with members of his ruling coalition at the State Palace Jakarta on Wednesday (Aug. 25). The leaders of the National Mandate Party (PAN) were present in the said meeting. It’s noteworthy given that the President has not officially announced the return of PAN into the ruling coalition, many believe that the Party’s presence in the meeting is a crystal clear indication that they’ve rejoined the coalition.
Jokowi-Prabowo & PDIP-Gerindra Axis
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo was accompanied by the Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto, who is also the chairman of Gerindra Party, when monitoring vaccination in East Kalimantan on Tuesday (Aug. 24). On the same day, the Secretary General of the ruling party PDIP Hasto Kristiyanto met with the Secretary General of Gerindra Party Ahmad Muzani.
Megawati’s Order
The Chairperson of the ruling party PDIP Megawati Soekarnoputri has instructed all her party members and cadres to not talk about presidential and vice presidential candidacy. Megawati, who is also the fifth President of the Republic, asked them to prioritize...
Puan and AHY Still Insignificant
A new survey from polling agency Fixpoll found the electability of Puan Maharani (the daughter of the fifth President Megawati Soekarnoputri) and Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono a.k.a. AHY (the son of the sixth President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono) remained insignificant. It must be a disappointing result for both Puan and AHY who have been aggressively promoting themselves through billboard advertisements.
Moeldoko & Accusation of Ivermectin Affiliation (3)
Today, Aug. 24, is the last day for the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) to answer the third subpoena issued by the Chief of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) General (retired) Moeldoko. The former Military Commander demanded the said watchdog group to withdraw its accusation and apologize. Should the Group fail to do so, Moeldoko promises to report them to the Police for defamation.
The Opposition on Presidential Threshold
The Chairman of the opposition and Islamic party PKS Ahmad Syaikhu spoke at an event held by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on Friday, Aug. 20, 2021. Apart from criticizing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his administration, Syaikhu also talked about the importance of reducing the presidential threshold. Syaikhu isn’t the first and he won’t be the last one demanding the reduction of the threshold.
Sahabat Ganjar
Sahabat Ganjar, a volunteer group that supports the Governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo presidential bid in the 2024 election, was established over the weekend. Some wonder whether the move is too soon.
Targeting the Attorney General?
Another survey from the Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) found only 59 percent of its respondents trusted the Attorney General’s Office (AGO). Earlier, the polling agency KedaiKOPI found the majority of its respondents agreeing with the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW)’s demand to replace the Attorney General (AG) Sanitiar (ST) Burhanuddin. The timing of these surveys is interesting.
Haji Isam & His Brother-in-Law’s Resignation from PDIP
Recently, dr. H. Sulaiman Umar resigned from his position of lawmaker in the House of Representatives (DPR). He also left the ruling party PDIP. Sulaiman Umar is the brother-in-law of South Kalimantan businessman H. Andi Syamsuddin Arsyad a.k.a Haji Isam, who is known for not just his extensive business and political reach in the province, but also for his links to figures in the national business stage, politics, military and police.
Questioning Watchdog Groups
Watchdog groups have been heavily criticizing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. Many even called the President pretentious for wearing ethnic attire when delivering a speech in the annual plenary session of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Monday (Aug. 16). Yet many watchdog groups also remain silent over the findings of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) regarding the irregularities in the Jakarta Administration’s spending. Some, therefore, question their consistency.