Prabowo fulfills Megawati’s invitation
IO, Bali – The fifth congress of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Congress V, themed “Solid in Marching for Great Indonesia (Solid Bergerak untuk Indonesia Raya)” has taken place sooner than planned. As leader of the party, Megawati felt the need to expedite the Congress after seeing symptoms of systematic disintegration during the 2019 general elections. According to PDIP’s data analysis center, the phenomenon almost tore up the unity and integrity of the nation. “PDIP believes the issue of national disintegration is serious and as such cannot be ignored. We understand that unity and integrity are an absolute prerequisite for a nation. This nation will never be strong if there is still disunity, a ‘civil war’. With this consideration, as chairwoman, I have decided to expedite the Congress,” asserted Megawati in Grand Inna Beach Hotel, Sanur, Denpasar, Bali, on Thursday (08/08/2019).
The threat of national disintegration was an echo for the first President of Indonesia’s daughter. At the time Soekarno warned for the election not to become a time for political dispute which could endanger the nation, through among others, intolerance and national disintegration which threatens unity and integrity. “Democracy is the embodiment of tolerance. That is what I took from Bung Karno’s words,” she said. Further, Megawati asserted that tolerance and democracy could not be separated in politics. “If intolerance surfaces and grows then democracy and Pancasila will be destroyed. The nation’s strength will be destroyed. What arises is terror and pain,” added the mother of Puan Maharani and Prananda Prabowo.
She hopes that there will no longer be any intolerance or threats of national disintegration in the upcoming simultaneous 2020 regional head elections for governors in 9 provinces, regents in 224 regencies (32 provinces), and mayors in 37 cities (18 provinces). “Imagine if the disintegration phenomenon becomes strong again and becomes like an unstoppable flood. What would happen? That’s why it must be addressed,” she said.
During the Congress, the PDIP chairwomen reminded her party members not to win through terror and propaganda as such a strategy could endanger the integrity of the nation. “If spreading hate becomes rampant again the integrity of the nation is in danger of falling apart, the nation’s power will be crushed. If that happens, democracy will truly be crippled. If someone does this, that means they want to drag this nation away from the Pancasila and 1945 Constitution. That means whoever uses those tactics threatens to ravage NKRI (Unitary State of Republic of Indonesia) and abolish Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. It is unimaginable if that were to happen,” said Megawati, who was dressed in black with a red shawl.
Megawati stated that the Pancasila and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, were handed down by Indonesia’s founding fathers and freedom fighters, are final, a reminder to the nation, and not up for debate. “But I am certain, there isn’t a single person who wants to practice another ideology and replace the Pancasila,” she said. As a result, going forward Megawati hoped that the Pancasila could be re-grounded as an open ideology that’s presence could be felt by the people in the form of social justice. Not only that, she hoped that the Pancasila would become a policy for national development in the future so as to better the potential of the nation when combined with measurable research.
After the elections, she hoped PDIP members would start to rebuild the spirit of nationalism in togetherness. Also, in this Fifth Congress, she hoped that PDIP members find a road to change more deep-seated than just regeneration. “Going forward we must become solid again. If we are solid, half the political battle is won. As long as we are solid, we will not be abandoned by the people. As members of a party with the Pancasila ideology, do not complain, as complaining expends half your energy,” she said.
Megawati impassioned her party members, reminding them that they are not in the fight alone. According to her, Bung Karno fought together with his party members for the people. She told party members to never betray the people. “Be loyal to the people as your source. Make loyalty a positive energy. Rise up bulls throughout Indonesia. With the soul of Pancasila. Act solidly to serve the homeland and Indonesian people,” she said.
Prabowo to Jokowi
In between her speeches, Megawati managed to slip in a few jokes. In one, she said she was given a hard time by Prabowo when the Prabowo-Sandiaga Uno National Success Team (BPN) campaign post was moved to Central Java. Megawati said she was tired at the time. “Which is our barometer (Central Java) so when BPN post moved there, I said, ‘That Central Java is where my bulls are.’ So, I can’t have this. I told my bulls to ‘attack’. That’s it,” she said as the crowd laughed.
In her address, Megawati mentioned Prabowo’s name more than three times. Unfortunately, this wasn’t so for the other party chairmen. Megawati only greeted her party seniors who were witnesses to PDIP’s struggles, and political party chairmen alongside their secretarie-generals. However, Megawati did not explicitly greet or mention the party chairmen names in Jokowi-Ma’ruf’s coalition who sat in the VVIP section. Among them were Airlangga Hartarto (Golkar), Surya Paloh (Nasdem) and Suharso Monoarfa (PPP), as for Muhaimin Iskandar (PKB) he was away on hajj in Mecca.
Megawati also spoke about Jokowi-JK’s administration which she believed were keen on imports. According to her, the nation could not stand on its own feet if it opened up imports anytime there was a little trouble. “What if one day a country we import from stops exporting its commodities from its country to us, this is why it is very important to conduct research and not only create many fields but rather innovate on how to make rice as big as eggs,” said Megawati, who has led PDIP for 20 years.
The former president also recollected the time when PDIP was the opposition during the administration of Indonesia’s sixth President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). She said that she had been offered ministerial seats. “During the time of President SBY, I said to him, ‘Pak, I won’t be part of your cabinet.’ Instead, he offered eight or so ministerial seats,” she said. “Ten years. (We) are still alive,” she continued.
During the closing of her address, as the winning party in the 2019 election, Megawati asked President-Elect Joko Widodo, whom her party supported, to give the most ministerial seats to PDIP. “This time I don’t want to be lied to again. As the election-winning party, PDIP must receive the most ministerial seats. If only a few, I don’t want, I don’t want. PDIP must receive the most,” she asserted.
Responding to this request, Jokowi in his speech stated that PDIP is certain to receive the most ministerial seats. “What’s certain is PDIP receives the most. That is my guarantee,” he promised. Meanwhile, in the next 5 years of his new administration, Jokowi stated his administration would work faster, more efficiently, and make many jumps and breakthroughs never even done before. “We have to be ready with policies which are not popular if they are important for the people. We will increase investments that can create as many jobs as possible. For that, I will improve policies that hinder investments in Indonesia,” he added.
During the opening of the Congress, those in attendance included Vice-President Elect Ma’ruf Amin, Vice-President Jusuf Kalla, Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto, NasDem Party Chairman Surya Paloh, Golkar Party Chairman Airlangga Hartarto, PPP Chairman Soeharso Minoarfa, and several Party Chairman in the Coalition of Working Indonesia, Ministers from the Working Cabinet, to the DPR House Speaker. The PDIP Congress V was held from Thursday-Sunday, August 8-11, 2019. The Congress is used to elect the leadership of PDIP for the next five years. In the last Congress IV also held in Bali, Megawati Soekarnoputri was reelected as the PDIP Chairwoman for the 2015-2020 period. (dan)