Latest news with #MegawatiSoekarnoputri
CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
‘Warm' first meeting of Indonesia President Prabowo, Vice-President Gibran and political rival Megawati fuels rift-healing talk
JAKARTA: Politicians from key factions have welcomed a rare joint public appearance of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka and rival leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, with analysts describing it as a 'symbolic' gesture of reconciliation. The national event in Jakarta on Monday (Jun 2) marked the first time the trio was seen together after Prabowo was inaugurated last October, although he and Megawati had a closed-door meeting in April. It was also the first time Megawati – chairwoman of the country's largest political party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) – was sighted in public with Gibran after he and his father, former President Joko Widodo, were officially expelled from the PDI-P last December. They were at a ceremony to commemorate the birth of Indonesia's founding ideology, Pancasila, at the Pancasila Building in Central Jakarta. Prabowo served as the inspector of the ceremony while Megawati is the head of the steering committee at the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency. She was among the dignitaries seated in the front row along with former vice-presidents Try Sutrisno and Jusuf Kalla. Photos circulating of the event show Prabowo accompanying Megawati as they entered the building, with Gibran following behind. Megawati's PDI-P is the single largest party in parliament with nearly one-fifth of seats, but is still dwarfed by the Advance Indonesia Coalition, a super-coalition of parties aligned with Prabowo's Gerindra party. PDI-P is the only major party that has not joined the Advance Indonesia Coalition, also known as KIM Plus. Tensions have run high ever since Widodo did not back PDI-P's presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo in the February 2024 presidential election. Instead, Widodo was widely said by observers to have tacitly supported Prabowo, whose running mate was his oldest child Gibran. PDI-P secretary general Hasto Kristiyanto was named a suspect last December in the bribery of former General Elections Commission commissioner Wahyu Setiawan from 2017 to 2022. Following Hasto's arrest in February this year, Megawati ordered leaders of her party to withdraw from a brainstorming retreat convened by Prabowo. In a sign of thawing relations, however, Prabowo visited Megawati, a former president, at her residence on Jalan Teuku Umar on Apr 7. They were running mates in the 2009 presidential elections, with Prabowo the vice-presidential candidate in Megawati's failed bid to defeat incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. 'HEALING THE DEEP RIFT' Political analyst Hendri Satrio told Jakarta Globe that the visual cues on Monday of placing Megawati at the forefront were 'not just protocol' and carried a symbolic meaning. Another analyst told CNA the latest meeting on Monday reflects some effort by the administration to 'reconcile' with Megawati, 'a figure who represents the weight of the opposition force'. 'It is a first step to healing the deep rift that started when Jokowi backed his son Gibran for vice-president and Prabowo later for president instead of PDI-P's candidate Ganjar,' said Julia Lau, a senior fellow and coordinator of the Indonesia Studies Programme at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Widodo, Gibran and Widodo's son-in-law Bobby Nasution were officially expelled from PDI-P in December last year for 'openly going against the party's decision to back its presidential pair' and instead 'supporting the rival pair from the KIM'. The PDI-P had supported Widodo's rise in power from mayor of Surakarta to governor of Jakarta, then Indonesia's president for two terms from 2014 to 2024. PRABOWO SAYS MEGAWATI LOOKS 'THINNER' As Prabowo and Gibran greeted national figures at a waiting room prior to the ceremony, a light-hearted exchange was caught on camera between the president and Megawati. 'You look thinner now. That's amazing, your weight loss programme appears to be working,' Prabowo told Megawati, as quoted by Jakarta Post. Secretary-general of Prabowo's Gerindra party, Ahmad Muzani, who witnessed the interaction, described the atmosphere as 'warm, familial and full of laughter', Jakarta Globe reported. 'This is a beautiful image for Indonesia,' said Muzani, who is also the House Speaker and chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). 'On a day when we honour the foundation of our nation, our leaders showed unity, exchanged greetings and sat together in a spirit of togetherness.' Pancasila Day is a national holiday usually celebrated on Jun 1 in Indonesia, but Muzani said the official ceremony was held on Jun 2 to accommodate Megawati. 'We adjusted the schedule for her,' Muzani said, as quoted by national news agency Antara. Deputy Speaker of the MPR, Hidayat Nur Wahid, told Antara the meeting 'will be seen as a positive signal for unity and a commitment to upholding the values of Pancasila'. Indonesia's national ideology comprises five principles: Belief in one God, civilised humanity, national unity, democracy and social justice. The PDI-P described the meeting as a display of statesmanship and a reflection of the longstanding friendship between the two leaders that goes 'beyond political considerations'. 'Their relationship has been well-established for a long time, both in political contexts and especially on strategic matters related to the state ideology of Pancasila,' PDI-P chairman Said Abdullah told news outlet Kompas in a written response. Their rapport, he added, was also reflected in Prabowo's speech at the ceremony, where he made mention of Megawati before other national figures. 'It was clear that President Prabowo accorded great respect to Megawati, not only as Indonesia's fifth president but also as a Chair of the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency Steering Committee,' Said said. Another interaction at the ceremony that drew attention was that between Gibran and former vice-president Try Sutrisno. Try Sutrisno was among the prominent figures who endorsed a statement in April urging a reshuffle of Prabowo's Cabinet and calling for Gibran's impeachment, citing the impropriety of a constitutional court decision that had paved the way for him to contest in the presidential election.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
‘Clean up or be removed': Prabowo warns Indonesian officials as calls grow for cabinet reshuffle
JAKARTA, June 3 — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has warned cabinet ministers and government officials against corruption, vowing to remove those who fail to uphold clean governance amid growing calls for a cabinet reshuffle. Speaking at a ceremony marking the birth of the state ideology Pancasila on Monday, Prabowo said the country's biggest weakness lies in the mindset of its political elite and officials entrusted with public duties, according to a report published in The Jakarta Post today. 'There is still far too much misappropriation, far too much corruption and far too much manipulation taking place within the government itself,' he said. 'On behalf of the people, I warn all elements in every institution: immediately clean yourselves up, [or else] the state will take action.' The president said he would not tolerate disloyalty, law-breaking or constitutional violations, regardless of political ties, family connections or affiliations. 'The wealth of the nation must be enjoyed by all its people. All misappropriations and leakages must stop. Any official unable to carry out their duties should step down before I remove them,' he added. His remarks come amid mounting public pressure to reshuffle the cabinet, although no official announcements have been made. Prabowo delivered his speech at the Foreign Ministry's Pancasila building, where the event was also attended by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Also present was Megawati Soekarnoputri, head of the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP) steering committee and leader of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Old video misrepresented as Indonesian legislature 'rejecting asset seizure bill against graft convicts'
"Chaos in the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR). Those on the people's side pushed for the Asset Confiscation Bill," says an Indonesian-language SnackVideo post shared on April 2. "But the deputy speaker rejected the Asset Confiscation Bill against those who are corrupt." The video shows a commotion between lawmakers. Indonesia's attorney general's office said in February it had arrested several executives from subsidiaries of state-owned energy firm PT Pertamina for alleged corruption over oil imports that had cost the country nearly $12 billion (archived link). Some quarters of the government said ill-gotten assets should be confiscated (archived link). President Prabowo Subianto also voiced his support for the forfeiture of assets obtained through illicit means after he was asked about the Asset Confiscation bill during an interview on April 6, according to Indonesian outlet Tempo (archived link). The draft law -- which aims to provide a legal basis for law enforcement to seize assets from those convicted of corruption -- was initially drawn up during former president Megawati Soekarnoputri's tenure in the early 2000s, but it has been mired in debates and delays (archived link). Parliamentary leaders announced in November 2024 that the bill would not be tabled in 2025 as it required more deliberations, according to another report from Indonesian outlet Tempo (archived link). The claim spread elsewhere on SnackVideo and on TikTok. Comments suggest some users believed the clip shows the Indonesian parliament throwing out the bill. "Just dissolve the DPR, no need for the DPR," said one user. Another commented, "Just arrest the DPR members who reject this law." But the claim is false as the Indonesian parliament's website lists the bill as still under consideration as of April 24, 2025 (archived link). A reverse image search on Google led to a video that Indonesian media organisation BeritaSatu published on its verified YouTube account on October 2, 2014, titled "Breaking news: plenary session turns chaotic" (archived link). The caption of the footage says it shows lawmakers rushing to the speaker's table during a House leader poll. The news organisation also published other videos showing the same scene (archived here and here). The stormy opening session was seen as a bad omen for Joko Widodo, who at that time was set to take office as Indonesian president weeks following the session (archived link).
AFP
24-04-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Old video misrepresented as Indonesian legislature 'rejecting asset seizure bill against graft convicts'
"Chaos in the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR). Those on the people's side pushed for the Asset Confiscation Bill," says an Indonesian-language SnackVideo post shared on April 2. "But the deputy speaker rejected the Asset Confiscation Bill against The video shows a commotion between lawmakers. Image Screenshot of the false post taken on April 22, 2025 Indonesia's attorney general's office said in February it had arrested several executives from subsidiaries of state-owned energy firm PT Pertamina for alleged corruption over oil imports that had cost the country nearly $12 billion (archived link). Some quarters of the government said ill-gotten assets should be confiscated (archived link). President Prabowo Subianto also after he was asked about the Asset Confiscation bill during an interview on April 6, according to Indonesian outlet Tempo (archived link). The draft law -- which aims to provide a legal basis for law enforcement to seize assets from those convicted of corruption -- was initially drawn up during former president Megawati Soekarnoputri's tenure in the early 2000s, but it has been mired in debates and delays (archived link). Parliamentary leaders announced in November 2024 that the bill would not be tabled in 2025 as it required more deliberations, according to another report from Indonesian outlet Tempo (archived link). The claim spread elsewhere on SnackVideo and on TikTok. Comments suggest some users believed the clip shows the Indonesian parliament throwing out the bill. "Just dissolve the DPR, no need for the DPR," said one user. Another commented, "Just arrest the DPR members who reject this law." But the claim is false as the Indonesian parliament's website lists the bill as still under consideration as of April 24, 2025 (archived link). A reverse image search on Google led to a video that Indonesian media organisation BeritaSatu published on its verified YouTube account on October 2, 2014, titled "Breaking news: plenary session turns chaotic" (archived link). The caption of the footage says it shows lawmakers rushing to the speaker's table during a House leader poll. Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (left) and BeritaSatu's video The news organisation also published other videos showing the same scene (archived here and here). The stormy opening session was seen as a bad omen for Joko Widodo, was set to take office as Indonesian president weeks following the session (archived link).
