Budiman Sudjatmiko: Prabowo's statement is not intended to discredit PDI-P

Budiman Sudjatmiko, when contacted in Jakarta on Friday (10/5/2024), stated that Prabowo's statement was not intended to discredit PDI-P. He believed that Prabowo never had any intention of attacking PDI-P.

"No, I'm not discrediting PDI-P. Mr. Prabowo keeps talking about unity and cooperation. I think he is not speaking offensively. He has not been offensive until now," said Budiman.

Also read: It's been 10 days since the Constitutional Court's decision, Megawati and Prabowo haven't met yet

According to Budiman, Prabowo's intention in stating that was precisely to show respect to Bung Karno. He claimed that Prabowo was inspired by the previous presidents.

According to Budiman, Prabowo also wants to remind the public that Soekarno's teachings are not only owned by one party but go beyond party lines. "So, he (Prabowo) wants to remind us not to belittle Bung Karno as the exclusive property of one party. This is not meant to insult PDI-Perjuangan," he said. Original Article: Pemerintahan sistem otoriter selalu mengalami resistensi dari rakyatnya karena selalu mengekang kebebasan dan hak-hak rakyat. Karenanya, kebebasan pers dan keberadaan media-media alternatif sangat penting dalam menjaga kebebasan berpendapat dan menyampaikan informasi. Namun, saat ini keberadaan media-media alternatif semakin terpuruk dan digantikan oleh media-media besar yang cenderung bersikap akomodatif dengan penguasa. English Translation: Authoritarian governments always face resistance from their people because they always restrict freedom and rights. Therefore, freedom of the press and the presence of alternative media are very important in maintaining freedom of expression and the dissemination of information. However, currently, the existence of alternative media is increasingly declining and being replaced by mainstream media that tend to be accommodating to those in power.

Also read: Guntur: Using Bung Karno's name as campaign material must be for the sake of national unity

Budiman also dismisses the notion that Prabowo's statement indicates a breakdown in political communication between Prabowo and the Chairwoman of the PDI-P, Megawati Soekarnoputri. He instead revealed that a meeting between the two of them is just waiting for the right time.

It's just a matter of time

Budiman then revealed his chance encounter with the Chairman of the Central Executive Board (DPP) of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) Election Winning Team (Bappilu), Bambang Wuryanto, at a certain moment. On that occasion, Budiman asked Bambang about Megawati's willingness to meet with Prabowo.

”Ha kui (it's) a matter of time, but I'm sure Ms. Mega will definitely want to (meet Prabowo). That's what Mas Bambang said. So, it's just a matter of time," said Budiman.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Khoirul Umam, a lecturer in Political Science and International Studies at Paramadina University, holds a different view. According to him, Prabowo's statement clearly implies a political attack on PDI-P.

"It is clear that this sentence was addressed to PDI-P. "So, Prabowo's statement is a clear marker for the future direction of the relationship between the president-elect and PDI-P," said Umam.

Also read: Reaching the Highest Vote, PDI-P Touches on Moments Outside the Government as Opposition

It is clear that this sentence was addressed to PDI-P. So, Prabowo's statement is a clear marker for the direction of the relationship between the elected president and the PDI-P in the future.

The statement, according to Umam, seems to have been made by Prabowo as an expression of disappointment over the blocked political communication between him and Megawati that has been attempted all this time. As a result, it is not surprising that Prabowo's statement affirms the opposing stance between him and the PDI-P, which will carry out the function and role of opposition in the future government.

Also read: The Megawati-Prabowo meeting cannot be interpreted as PDI-P entering the next government

Nevertheless, there is still about five months left for Prabowo to be able to open up negotiation and compromise with PDI-P again. However, the main resistance to the communication lies in the presence of Gibran as one of the closest circles of President Joko Widodo or Prabowo, which has become one of the symbols in his large coalition.