Heavy Blow for PDI-P With Departure of Widodo Loyalist Maruarar Siraitt
By Fitria Chusna Farisa for Kompas.com | January 16, 2024
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The departure of Mr. Maruarar Sirait from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) is seen as a significant blow to the party.
Maruarar, known not only as a young PDI-P politician and a symbol of party regeneration, but also as the son of senior politician Mr. Sabam Sirait, a loyalist to PDI-P Chairwoman Ms. Megawati Soekarnoputri, has left a void.
“Maruarar Sirait’s resignation is a severe blow to the PDI-P,” said Mr. Ahmad Khoirul Umam, Executive Director of the Institute for Democracy and Strategic Affairs (Indostrategic), speaking to Kompas.com on Tuesday (16/1/2024).
Internal Factions
Mr. Umam believes Maruarar’s departure is related to internal factions within the PDI-P. With the party’s centralized leadership style, critical young politicians like Maruarar and Budiman Sudjatmiko might not have been given sufficient space.
According to Mr. Umam, Maruarar’s resignation may not significantly erode the PDI-P’s electability because he has held no recent positions within the party or the legislature. However, Mr. Umam suggests that Maruarar’s move will impact the psychological and moral stance of PDI-P members, especially as they approach the 2024 elections.
Young Turks
“Especially the young PDI-P members who might experience a decrease in confidence after witnessing the fate of Maruarar and Budiman,” said Mr. Umam, speculating that Maruarar may align himself with the campaign team of presidential and vice-presidential candidates Defense Minister Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Prabowo Subianto and the President’s son Mr. Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Moreover, Maruarar openly stated that he left the PDI-P because he was following the political path of President Joko Widodo.
Using the keywords “following Joko Widodo’s footsteps,” Umam further suggests that there is a high probability Maruarar may join the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), currently led by the other (youngest) son of the President, Mr. Kaesang Pangarep.
“Nevertheless, other major parties within the Advanced Indonesia Coalition of Prabowo-Gribran are undoubtedly also opening their doors wide for Maruarar if he wishes to enter their political ranks,” he added.
Serious Warning
Mr. Umam emphasizes that Maruarar’s maneuver should serve as a serious warning for the PDI-P. His loyalty to President Joko Widodo has clearly weakened his allegiance to the party’s ideology. The PDI-P must promptly reorganize and consolidate the strength of its members to prevent a melting of support due to pragmatism and opportunism.
“If the migration of young PDI-P politicians to the Prabowo-Gibran camp becomes unstoppable, it will trigger open warfare between President Joko Widodo and the PDI-P in the future,” warned the Paramadina University lecturer.
Saying Goodbye
Earlier reports note that after visiting PDI-P’s national office on Monday night (15/1/2024), Maruarar formally fareweled PDI-P. During his farewell, the former head of the PDI-P youth organization Taruna Merah Putih expressed gratitude to PDI-P Chairwoman Ms. Megawati Soekarnoputri and PDI-P Secretary-General Mr. Hasto Kristiyanto.
“After praying and discussing with close friends, I have decided to bid farewell to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle,” said Maruarar.
He revealed he was leaving PDI-P because he was following President Joko Widodo’s political path. However, he did not specify whether this decision was related to support for other presidential and vice-presidential candidates or other factors. “I choose to follow Mr. Joko Widodo’s path, because I believe Mr. Jokowi is a leader strongly supported by the Indonesian people,” he said.
Failed Ministerial Bid
Maruarar Sirait has become the focus of public attention after announcing his departure from the party that has nurtured his name for decades. Looking back, there is an interesting story connecting Maruarar and President Joko Widodo.
Ten years ago, when President Widodo was newly elected as the President of Indonesia, Maruarar nearly became a minister. Wearing formal white attire, in the back gardens of the Presidential Palace, Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla, the winning pair of the 2014 presidential election was inaugurated as President-Vice President of Indonesia on October 20, 2014.
Caught in the Palace Gardens with President Joko Widodo
Six days later, on Sunday, October 26, 2014, Jokowi announced his cabinet. Prior to that, several names were rumored to be potential cabinet ministers, including Maruarar Sirait. At that time, there were speculations that Maruarar was to be appointed Minister of Communication and Information (Menkominfo). Maruarar was indeed on the list of figures invited to the announcement event of the first Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla cabinet, given the title the Working Cabinet.
However, up to the announcement of the ministry on the Sunday afternoon, Maruarar was not seen at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. Instead, he visited Ms. Megawati’s residence in Menteng in Central Jakarta. Maruarar spent about 10 minutes at Ms. Megawati’s residence. According to information gathered by KompasTV reporters at that time, Maruarar was reportedly unable to meet Ms. Megawati, as she was unwilling to see him.
Meanwhile, at the Presidential Palace, news inaugurated President Joko Widodo announced Mr. Rudiantara as the Minister of Communication and Information, along with other presidential aides. On the Sunday evening, after the ministers’ names were announced, Maruarar was sighted chatting with President Widodo in the back gardens the Presidential Palace.
At that time, President Widodo was with Maruarar, who was about to leave the Palace. Maruarar was seen wearing a formal white top and black pants, similar to the attire worn by ministers during the cabinet announcement by President Widodo. Both President Widodo and Maruarar appeared relaxed and smiled at several journalists who approached them. They both claimed there were no issues, and President Widodo would still consider Maruarar a friend to assist in his administration. President Widodo also denied the assumption that Maruarar’s name was removed from the cabinet list at the last moments before the ministerial announcement. “What is clear is that Mr. Maruarar Sirait will continue to assist me. Yes… as a good friend,” said President Widodo.
Background
Born in Medan on December 23, 1969, Maruarar Sirait is the son of Sabam Sirait, a former member of the House of Representatives (DPR) who was also close to Ms. Megawati Soekarnoputri. On several occasions, Ms. Megawati shared that Sabam Sirait was the first person to persuade her to enter politics.
Maruarar has been active in politics, holding a seat in the House for three terms from 2004-2019. During 2004-2009, 2009-2014, and 2014-2019, Maruarar served as a member of House Finance and Banking Commission. In the 2019 elections, he aimed to run for legislative office, but failed to secure a House seat. Since September 20, 2023, Maruarar has been appointed as the Head of the Anti-Football Mafia Task Force by the Chairman of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI), Mr. Erick Thohir.
This article is based on https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2024/01/16/09581921/hengkangnya-maruarar-sirait-disebut-jadi-pukulan-telak-buat-pdi-p and https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2024/01/16/05200011/kisah-maruarar-sirait-urung-jadi-menteri-tepergok-di-taman-belakang-istana?page=2.
In related news:
Stories From Indonesia 
Leave a Reply