Long-Standing Relationship Between President Joko Widodo and PSI

By Francisca Christy Rosana for Tempo.co, December 31, 2023

Thousands of billboards featuring images of Mr. Kaesang Pangarep—general chair of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI)—along side images of President Joko Widodo inundated 35 districts and cities in Central Java province last week. The billboards were dispatched simultaneously by PSI’s Central Java provincial head office (DPW) to the offices of its various local leadership councils (DPD) around the province.

Village Election Advertising

Each PSI local council received between 400 and 2,000 billboards. “We received direct instructions from PSI head office to put up the billboards all the way down to the villages,” said the chair of PSI’s local leadership council for the regional town of Pemalang, Mr. Siswoyo, in an interview with Tempo Magazine, on December 28, 2023.

Two sources, one of whom is a PSI official in Central Java, familiar with the distribution of the campaign material, disclosed that the billboards were transported by large trucks from the city of Solo, a city once led as mayor by President Joko Widodo. The PSI officials in Central Java disclosed that news of the delivery of the billboard was only communicated to the heads of the local leadership councils the day before they was delivered by couriers.

The billboards had uniform designs. The PSI logo was printed in the upper left-hand area. At the center was a monochromatic photo of outgoing President Joko Widodo standing beside Kaesang, the President’s youngest son. The father-son portrait occupies half the space on the billboards. At the bottom, messages were displayed indicating how close PSI is to President Widodo, such as “PSI, Jokowi’s Party” and “Vote PSI with Jokowi.” (President Joko Widodo has always branded himself as a “commoner” among other things through the use of the familiar-sounding portmanteau “Jokowi”.)

After the billboards were set up, the chairpersons of the PSI local leadership councils throughout Central Java province reported their installations to a WhatsApp group named “Central Java Definitive Head.” Tempo Magazine obtained screenshots from the group, displaying reports from party officials accompanied by photos of the billboards set up in residential areas.

According to Mr. Siswoyo, the number of billboards could still increase. Party officials from PSI head office have offered to send additional campaign material to the regional campaign offices. However, this is on condition that all the billboards sent previously have been erected.

The chair of PSI Central Java, Mr. Antonius Yoga Prabowo, said that all campaign material was designed identically using the picture of President Widodo in order to attract the support of the President’s followers. A survey by the Indonesian Survey Institute conducted December 3-5, 2023, showed President Widodo’s approval rating at 76 percent.

“We want to convey the message that PSI is a party closely associated with Jokowi, and that it is going to continue to support and carry on his programs,” said Yoga, when contacted by Tempo Magazine on December 28, 2023.

Jokowism Ideology

PSI intensified its association with President Widodo after the party released the slogan “Jokowism” on August 22, 2023 at the Senayan Indoor Tennis Stadium in Central Jakarta. The national event was attended by President Widodo’s eldest son, Mr. Gibran Rakabuming Raka, now the endorsed running mate of Prabowo Subianto for the upcoming presidential election in February 2024.

PSI chair at the time, Mr. Giring Ganesha Djumaryo, instructed party members to present PSI as a party that advocates the leadership values of “Jokowi”. Similar directives were issued to members through chain messages sent by the PSI Central Digital Team throughout August 2023.

Jokowism T-Shirts

The messages urged PSI members to wear “Jokowism” T-shirts when visiting public places. The T-shirts were sent directly from PSI head office to the campaign offices in different regions. PSI members were also asked to promote Jokowism on social media by uploading photos of themselves wearing the T-shirts with the hashtags #jokowism and #standfirmwithjokowi.

Giring, now a member of PSI’s advisory board, revealed that the idea of promoting “Jokowism” was formulated with Mr. Jeffrie Geovanie, chair of the party’s advisory board, in early 2023. “We want the party to be a platform for those who want a leader like Jokowi,” said Giring at the office of the Indonesian General Elections Commission (KPU) in Jakarta on December 12, 2023.

Five former high-ranking PSI officials and a colleague have said that Jeffrie Geovanie aimed to win President Widodo’s favor by proposing the “new ideology.” Even before the 2019 elections, the party had an inclination towards President Widodo. Their objective, they said, was to secure funding by leveraging the President’s influence.

According to one PSI official, in 2017 President Widodo helped the party to find donors. However, despite the President’s support, PSI only gained 1.85 percent of the vote in the 2019 elections. The party, using a rose symbol, failed to win seats in the nations’ House of Representatives because it did not met the statutory 4 percent threshold for seats in the unicameral legislature.

Ditching PDI-P

The same source revealed that when President Widodo distanced himself from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) earlier this year, PSI tried to align itself with the President. PSI defended President Widodo after the PDI-P General Chair and former president Ms. Megawati Soekarnoputri declared the former Jakarta Governor a the party official on the 50th anniversary of the party whose logo is a bull in Kemayoran in Central Jakarta.

The PSI spokesperson, Mr Sigit Widodo, admitted that Jokowism initially emerged as a form of resistance to PDI-P’s labeling of President Widodo as a party official. “We created a counter-narrative. If PDI-P had Sukarnoism, PSI would have Jokowism,” said Sigit, in the West Java city of Depok on December 14, 2023.

Palace Support for Jokowism

PSI politician Mr. Ade Armando said that his party’s vice chair, Mr. Andy Budiman, was tasked with studying the values of Jokowism. A colleague of Jeffrie Geovanie disclosed that Andy was assisted by Mr. Faldo Maldini, a member of the special staff of Minister for the State Secretariat Mr. Pratikno. As of December 30, 2023, Faldo had not responded to Tempo Magazine’s inquiries directed to his mobile phone.

PSI vice chair Andy Budiman said he was unable to be interviewed because of a death in the family. However, in an op-ed piece published in a national media outlet on May 24, 2023, Andy discussed Jokowism. At the end of his piece, Andy referred to Jokowism as a benchmark for determining one’s choice of 2024 presidential candidate.

Constitutional Amendment

Aligned with President Widodo from the outset, PSI has in effect never voiced opposition to the President, even on controversial issues such as the proposal to extend the constitutional presidential term and a potential three-term administration under President Widodo.

Former Chair of PSI’s Jakarta provincial board, Michael Victor Sianipar, disclosed that PSI members had once received instructions from a PSI leader living in Singapore, urging PSI officials to promote the idea of extending President Widodo’s term through a constitutional amendment.

In a virtual meeting held on March 2, 2022, the proposal to extend the President’s term (beyond its constitutional limit) sparked heated discussions lasting for hours. PSI members vehemently protested against the proposal to the PSI board of advisors. However, their opposition did not yield any results.

After the meeting, PSI head office officials disseminated a written statement. Its content was not a firm rejection of the proposal for a three-term presidency for President Widodo. Instead, the party, which in its official press release declared itself an admirer of President Widodo, stated its willingness to support him for a third term, if this were based on an amendment to the constitution. Subsequently, PSI began to advocate for amending the country’s constitution, know as the “1945 Constitution”.

PSI Jakarta head Mr. Michael Victor Sianipar, who said he objected to a third term for President Widodo, claimed he was contacted by a senior PSI figure from Singapore. This party figure had attempted to convince Michael that the three-term plan was almost certain to succeed. “Three terms are 99 percent certain, and the possibility of failure is only 1 percent, because it is in God’s hands,” said Michael, recounting what the the party official said to him.

Former PSI politician Mr. Mohamad Guntur Romli also received instructions from PSI council of advisors to support a third term for President Widodo in 2022. Guntur, then still a member of PSI, opposed the extension of the president’s term, or a third term for President Widodo, arguing that the ideas breached the 1945 Constitution.

Three-Term Presidency

He then questioned his party’s stance, which had begun to deviate from the spirit of the 1998 Democracy Reform Movement, known as Reformasi. “But the party’s board of advisors said they had received orders from the heavens,” said Guntur, who is now a PDI-P candidate for a legislative seat, when we talked to him in Central Jakarta on December 15, 2023.

Guntur explained that the term “orders from the heavens” referred to Jeffrie Geovanie, the chair of the PSI Board of Advisors. Jeffrie played a central role in PSI. According to the party’s Articles of Association, he was the highest decision-maker in the party. Michael Victor Sianipar said the instructions from Singapore had led several members to consider leaving the party.

At the same time as these instructions, certain officials at media company CokroTV, affiliated with the Indonesia For All Foundation, which is connected to Jeffrie, received instructions. A CokroTV official claimed they had been visited by representatives from the Presidential Palace asking for their broadcasts to support the idea of a three-term presidency for President Widodo.

Contacted on December 28, 2023, via text message, Jeffrie declined to comment on anything, including his support for the issue of a three-term presidency for President Widodo. Meanwhile, as of December 30, 2023, the Miniser for the State Secretariat Mr. Pratikno had not responded to Tempo Magazine’s request for interview through either WhatsApp or phone calls.

Kaesang’s Political Aspirations

Not only did the party support President Widodo, PSI’s support has also extended to the political careers of the President’s children, particularly towards Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of President Widodo, who serves as the mayor of the Central Java city of Solo.

Several sources within PSI revealed that senior PSI figures supported Kaesang Pangarep’s bid to be a mayoral candidate for the West Java city of Depok, starting in June of that year. PSI put up billboards picturing Kaesang as a candidate for Mayor of Depok on Jalan Margonda Raya, at a monthly rental of Rp 20 million ($US1,330).

Internal circles inside PSI heard that Kaesang’s interest in politics grew after he married Erina Sofia Gudono at the end of last year. Kaesang’s aspirations were disclosed by his older brother, controversial Mayor of Solo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to journalists in Solo early in 2023. The Mayor of Solo referred to Kaesang’s desire to embark on a political journey in the executive or governmental arena.

However, President Widodo opposed Kaesang’s plans. “Kaesang wants to sell bananas, so it’s not right for him to be a mayor,” said President Widodo to senior journalists at the Presidential Palace on August 10, 2023. After that, Kaesang’s plan to become the mayor of Depok faded.

Despite this, internal circles within PSI devised an alternate path for Kaesang. The party offered him the position of party chair. Two of Jeffrie Geovanie’s colleagues—one involved in establishing the party and another a former PSI politician—stated that the party, founded in 2014, was open to being dominated by the Widodo family.

One of thes sources, who frequently talked with PSI officials, said that the party wanted total support from President Widodo. By appointing the President’s son as chair, commitment to PSI was anticipated to become stronger.

According to these sources, communication between PSI and President Widodo’s family was facilitated by a relative of the President, now a commissioner in one of the state-owned enterprises. This cousin of President Widodo liaised with PSI’s top officials such as Jeffrie Geovanie.

PSI politician Mr. Ade Armando rejected these claims. “PSI’s key figures in Jakarta are close to President Widodo’s inner circle, such as Deputy Minister of Agrarian and Spatial Planning Mr. Raja Juli Antoni,” said Ade Armando in a Zoom interview on December 28, 2023.

In fact, Jeffrie had previously proposed making Kaesang the party chair to President Widodo in 2020. Three of Jeffrie’s colleagues disclosed that the President had rejected the proposal. The reason cited was that Kaesang was still focused on his culinary business and start up companies.

Upon hearing rumors of Kaesang leading PSI, a close associate of President Widodo, Andi Widjajanto, met with Gibran Rakabuming Raka in August 2023. A presidential aide revealed that Andi, a former Governor of the National Resilience Institute, had cautioned against the plan. Especially since President Widodo’s family had been supported by PDI-P. However, Andi did not respond to Tempo Magazine’s requests for interview.

The Plan

The plan for Kaesang to become the PSI chair proceeded smoothly. On September 23, 2023, Kaesang officially received his PSI membership card. The card was handed over at President Widodo’s private residence in the Sumber District of the city of Solo, and was attended by Jeffrie Geovanie, chair of PSI’s advisory board. Two days later, on September 25, 2023, Kaesang was appointed as PSI chair.

Several PSI politicians stated that Kaesang’s appointment was sudden and did not involve discussions among party officials. The decision was made by Jeffrie, who is the highest decision-maker in the party.

After Kaesang took over PSI, there were changes in the party’s leadership in several regions, particularly in Central Java province. Kaesang replaced Yuli Zuardi Rais as the chair of the Central Java provincial council, and Antonius Yoga Prabowo became the new chair. Yoga had close ties with Gibran in Solo.

Yoga claimed there were no specific requests from Gibran to Kaesang regarding his selection to lead PSI in Central Java, which is PDI-P heartland. “If I am friends with Brother Gibran, then yes,” he stated on December 28, 2023, in a telephone interview.

Supporting Big Brother

Promoting the rhetoric about being the party of “Jokowi”, PSI also offered full support to the political aspirations of President Widodo’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, including considering a variety of roles for the Mayor of Solo. In the third week of June 2023, for instance, PSI floated Gibran’s name as a potential candidate for the Governor of Jakarta.

At a launch titled The People’s Forum (Rembuk Rakyat), PSI Jakarta released the results of a survey showcasing the preferred gubernatorial candidates chosen by the public. Gibran’s name stood at the top, surpassing Mr. Heru Budi Hartono, Jakarta’s current acting governor, and Mr. Ridwan Kamil, the former wildly-popular Governor of West Java.

Elva Qolbina, Chairwoman of PSI’s Jakarta provincial board, claimed that the party had conducted a survey of over 11,000 individuals. “The survey process was conducted face-to-face and online,” said Elva, when contacted by Tempo Magazine on December 28, 2023.

Before the idea of Gibran taking the helm of the nation’s capital city surfaced, PSI had filed a lawsuit on the age limit for presidential and vice-presidential candidates with the Constitutional Court. Last March, the party requested the court to lower the statutory minimum age for presidential and vice-presidential candidates from 40 to 35 years.

Several politicians and former PSI members revealed that the party was working to assist Gibran in running for the 2024 presidential election. At the time, Gibran was 35 years old, and his candidacy was hindered by the statutory age requirement for presidential candidates. However, the Constitutional Court rejected PSI’s application at a hearing on October 16, 2023.

Help From Uncle

But Gibran still managed to secure legality for his candidacy for vice president through another legal challenge. Gibran, who was Mayor of Solo at the time, was perceived to have lobbied other judges via his uncle, chief justice of the Constitutional Court, Justice Anwar Usman, to allow regional leaders under the age of 40 to participate in the 2024 presidential election. (Then) Chief Justice Anwar has repeatedly denied these allegations, but was subsequently removed from his position as Chief Justice of Indonesia’s Constitutional Court.

Gibran eventually proceeded to register as vice-presidential candidate as running of Prabowo Subianto. Gibran faced criticism regarding political dynasties because of the proceedings before the Constitutional Court. Once again, PSI defended him against accusations of a “Jokowi dynasty”, stating that anyone had the right to run as a presidential or vice-presidential candidate.

Civil Society Watch (CSW), a pro-Widodo non-governmental organization formed by PSI chair Jeffrie Geovanie and PSI politician Mr. Ade Armando, defends Gibran. A day after the Constitutional Court’s decision, CSW published an opinion piece counterattacking critics of a so-called Joko Widodo dynasty. “Accusations of Jokowi holding onto power are exaggerated,” claimed Ade, Director of CSW.

This article is based on https://majalah.tempo.co/read/laporan-khusus/170599/relasi-psi-jokowi and is not authorized by the authors.

Featured image credit: The stage of earthly delight, Created by prominent artist Zico Albaiquni, Medium: oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas, NGA 2018 Courtesy of the artist and Yavuz Gallery, Singapore https://digital.nga.gov.au/archive/contemporaryworlds/works.cfm.html; https://digital.nga.gov.au/archive/contemporaryworlds/works.cfm%3Fwrkirn=329029.html

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