Jakarta, IO – Maruarar “Ara” Sirait, a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) tendered resigned his party membership on Monday (15/1). His last role was as the chairman of the party’s central executive board.
He said he took the decision after in-depth consultation with the party leadership, per Tempo. The resignation was submitted to PDI-P deputy secretary general Utut Adiyanto. He also expressed his gratitude to PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and other high-ranking party officials and cadres.
It was still not clear which party he will join. “I chose to follow Mr. Jokowi’s footsteps because I believe that Mr. Jokowi is a leader who is highly supported by the Indonesian people and has high public trust,” he said.
According to him, public trust in Jokowi based on many surveys remained at around 80 percent. “He is very caring toward the ordinary people and is known for his firm stance to relocate the capital city to realize equity for all Indonesians,” added Ara.
Maruarar is the son of PDI-P politician Sabam Sirait. He resignation came amid a reported strain in the relationship between President Jokowi and Megawati.
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Jokowi recently skipped PDI-P’s 51st anniversary and chose to conduct state visits. PDI-P was the party that support him in Solo mayoral election, launching his illustrious political career.
Maruarar’s closeness to Jokowi can be seen in his recent Instagram post on @maruararsirait where he showed a cordial meeting with Jokowi. The former three-term lawmaker also uploaded a video when he handed over his party membership card. (un)