The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle ( id, Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan, PDI-P) is an Indonesian political party, and the party of the current
President of Indonesia
The President of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Presiden Republik Indonesia) is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Indonesia. The president leads the executive branch of the Indonesian government and i ...
,
Joko Widodo.
The PDI-P was founded and is currently led by
Megawati Sukarnoputri, president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004, and daughter of
Sukarno
Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967.
Sukarno was the leader of ...
, the first president of Indonesia. Megawati was forced out from the leadership of the
Indonesian Democratic Party
The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) was one of the two state-approved parties during the New Order era of the late 20th-century in Indonesia.
Origins
Ten political parties participated in the 1971 legislative elections, a number that Pres ...
(PDI) by the government of Indonesia under
Suharto
Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...
in 1996. Megawati formed the PDI-P in 1999, after
Suharto resigned and restrictions on political parties were lifted.
The party's ideology is based on the official Indonesian national philosophy,
''Pancasila'', and is considered as conservative-left. It is a member of the
Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats
The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) is a regional organization of liberal democratic political parties in Asia.
Background
The Council was created on 15 October 1993, in a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan. There are nine member partie ...
and
Progressive Alliance
The Progressive Alliance (PA) is a political international of social democratic and progressive political parties and organisations founded on 22 May 2013 in Leipzig, Germany. The alliance was formed as an alternative to the existing Socia ...
.
Origins
![PDIP HQ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/PDIP_HQ.jpg)
At the 1993 National Congress,
Megawati Sukarnoputri was elected Chairperson of the
Indonesian Democratic Party
The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) was one of the two state-approved parties during the New Order era of the late 20th-century in Indonesia.
Origins
Ten political parties participated in the 1971 legislative elections, a number that Pres ...
, one of the three political parties recognised by President
Suharto
Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...
's
"New Order" government. This result was not recognised by the government, which continued to push for Budi Harjono, its preferred candidate for the chairpersonship, to be elected. A Special Congress was held where the government expected to have Harjono elected, but Megawati once again emerged as elected leader. Her position was consolidated further when a PDI National Assembly ratified the results of the congress.
In June 1996, another National Congress was held in the city of
Medan
Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four main ...
, to which Megawati was not invited; anti-Megawati members were in attendance. With the government's backing,
Suryadi, a former chairperson was re-elected as PDI's Chairperson. Megawati refused to acknowledge the results of this congress and continued to see herself as the rightful leader of the PDI.
On the morning of 27 July 1996, Suryadi threatened to take back PDI's headquarters in Jakarta. Suryadi's supporters (reportedly with the Government's backing)
attacked the PDI Headquarters and faced resistance from Megawati supporters who had been stationed there since the National Congress in Medan. In the ensuing clash, Megawati's supporters managed to hold on to the headquarters. A riot ensued – at that stage considered the worst that Jakarta had seen during the "New Order" – which was followed by a government crackdown. The government later blamed the riots on the
People's Democracy Party
People's Democracy Party ( tr, Halkın Demokrasi Partisi, HADEP) was a Kurdish population, Kurdish political party in Turkey. Murat Bozlak founded the party on 11 May 1994. The party disbanded in 2003.
History
Bozlak's first chairmanship
P ...
(PRD). Despite being overthrown as chairperson by Suryadi and the government, the event lifted Megawati's profile immensely, providing both sympathy and national popularity.
The PDI was now divided into two factions, Megawati's and Suryadi's. The former had wanted to participate in the
1997 legislative elections, but the government only recognized the latter. In the elections, Megawati and her supporters threw their support behind the
United Development Party
The United Development Party ( id, Partai Persatuan Pembangunan, sometimes translated as Development Unity Party; abbreviated PPP) is an Islam-basedAl-Hamdi, Ridho. (2013). ''Partai politik Islam: Teori dan praktik di Indonesia''. Yogyakarta: Grah ...
and the PDI won only 3% of the vote. Following
Suharto's resignation and the lifting of the "New Order" limitations on national political parties, Megawati declared the formation of the PDI-P, adding the suffix ''perjuangan'' ("struggle") to differentiate her faction of the party from the government-backed faction. She was elected chairperson of PDI-P and was nominated for the presidency in 1999.
History
1999 legislative elections and MPR General Session
PDI-P was by far the most popular political party coming into the
1999 legislative elections. With 33% of the votes, PDI-P emerged with the largest share. As the 1999 People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) General Session loomed closer, it was expected that PDI-P would once again play the dominant role. Despite winning the legislative elections, PDI-P did not have
absolute majority
A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority r ...
. Despite this however, PDI-P never formed a coalition with any of the other political parties in the lead up to the 1999 MPR General Session. The closest PDI-P had to a coalition was a loose alliance with
Abdurrahman Wahid
Abdurrahman Wahid ( ; born Abdurrahman ad-Dakhil; 7 September 1940 – 30 December 2009), though more colloquially known as Gus Dur (), was an Indonesian politician and Islamic religious leader who served as the 4th president of Indonesia, fr ...
's
National Awakening Party
The National Awakening Party ( id, Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa), frequently abbreviated to PKB, is an Islam-basedAl-Hamdi, Ridho. (2017). ''Moving towards a Normalised Path: Political Islam in Contemporary Indonesia''. JURNAL STUDI PEMERINTAHAN (J ...
(PKB).
The presidency looked set to be contested by Megawati and the then incumbent
BJ Habibie
Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie (; 25 June 1936 – 11 September 2019) was an Indonesian engineer and politician who was the third president of Indonesia from 1998 to 1999. Less than three months after his inauguration as the seventh vice preside ...
of
Golkar
)
, foundation =
, youth = AMPG (Golkar Party Young Force)
, women = KPPG (Golkar Party Women's Corps)
, newspaper = '' Suara Karya'' (1971–2016)
, headquarters = Jakarta
, ideology ...
who was looking for a second term. However, MPR Chairman
Amien Rais had other ideas as he formed a coalition called the Central Axis which consisted of Muslim Parties. Amien also announced that he would like to nominate Wahid as president. PKB, their alliance with PDI-P never cemented, now moved over to the Central Axis. Golkar then joined this coalition after Habibie's accountability speech was rejected and he withdrew from the race. It came down to Megawati and Wahid. Wahid, with a powerful coalition backing him was elected as Indonesia's 4th president with 373 votes to Megawati's 313. The PDI-P supporters were outraged. As the winners of the legislative elections, they expected to win the presidential elections also. PDI-P masses began rioting in cities such as
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
,
Solo
Solo or SOLO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Comics
* ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series
* Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics
Characters
* Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character
* Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...
and
Medan
Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four main ...
. The normally peaceful
Bali
Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...
was also involved in pro-Megawati protests. Wahid then realized that there was a need to recognize PDI-P's status as the winners of the Legislative Elections. With that, he encouraged Megawati to run for the vice presidency.
Megawati rejected this offer when she saw that she had to face opponents such as
United Development Party
The United Development Party ( id, Partai Persatuan Pembangunan, sometimes translated as Development Unity Party; abbreviated PPP) is an Islam-basedAl-Hamdi, Ridho. (2013). ''Partai politik Islam: Teori dan praktik di Indonesia''. Yogyakarta: Grah ...
's (PPP)
Hamzah Haz
Hamzah Haz (born 15 February 1940) is an Indonesian politician who served as vice president of Indonesia from 2001 until 2004, under President Megawati Sukarnoputri. He previously held the positions of Minister of Investment and Coordinating M ...
and Golkar's
Akbar Tanjung
Djandji Akbar Zahiruddin Tandjung (born 14 August 1945), more commonly referred to as Akbar Tandjung, is an Indonesian politician who served as the Speaker of the People's Representative Council from 1999 until 2004. A member of the Golkar party ...
and
Wiranto
Wiranto (born 4 April 1947) is an Indonesian politician and former army general, who is serving as the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council, since December 2019. Previously, he was the Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces from Feb ...
. After some politicking by Wahid, Akbar and Wiranto withdrew from the race. Wahid also ordered PKB to throw their weight behind Megawati. She was now confident and competed in the vice presidential elections, and was elected with 396 votes to Hamzah's 284.
2000 party congress, Wahid's presidency and splits
The First PDI-P Congress was held in
Semarang,
Central Java
Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
in April 2000, during which Megawati was re-elected as the chairperson of PDI-P for a second term. The congress was noted as one where she consolidated her position within PDI-P by taking harsh measures to remove potential rivals. During the election for the chairperson, two other candidates emerged,
Eros Djarot
Erros Djarot (born 22 July 1950) is an Indonesian songwriter, director and politician. Beginning his music career with the soundtrack of ''Kawin Lari'' in 1976, Djarot became famous with the success of '' Badai Pasti Berlalu'' and its soundtrack ...
and Dimyati Hartono. Both ran because they did not want Megawati to hold the PDI-P chairpersonship while concurrently being Vice President.
For Eros, when finally received his nomination from the
South Jakarta
South Jakarta ( id, Jakarta Selatan; bew, Jakarte Beludik ), colloquially known as ''Jaksel'', is one of the five administrative cities which form the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia. South Jakarta is not self-governed and does not ...
branch, membership problems arose and made his nomination void. He was then not allowed to go and participate in the congress. Disillusioned with what he perceived to be a
cult of personality
A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create an id ...
developing around Megawati, Eros left PDI-P and in July 2002, formed the
Freedom Bull National Party. For Dimyati, although his candidacy was not opposed as harshly as Eros', he was removed from his position as Head of PDI-P's Central Branch. He kept his position as a
People's Representative Council
The People's Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Republik Indonesia, DPR-RI), also known as the House of Representatives, is one of two elected chambers of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), ...
(DPR) member but retired in February 2002. In April 2002, Dimyati formed the Our Homeland of Indonesia Party (PITA).
Although it had not supported Wahid for presidency, PDI-P members received ministerial positions in his cabinet because of Megawati's position as vice president. As time went on, much like the Central Axis that had supported Wahid, PDI-P would grow disillusioned with him. In April 2000,
Laksamana Sukardi
Laksamana Sukardi (born 1 October 1956) is an Indonesian politician, reformist and banker who served as Minister of State Owned Enterprises (BUMN) under the presidencies of Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Sukarnoputri.
Sukardi was born in Jaka ...
, a PDI-P member who held position as Minister of Investments and State Owned Enterprises was sacked from his position. When PDI-P enquired as to why this was done, Wahid claimed it was because of corruption but never backed up his claim.
The relationship improved somewhat when later in the year, when Wahid authorized Megawati to manage the day-to-day running of the government. However, she and PDI-P had slowly but surely started to distance themselves from Wahid and join forces with the Central Axis. Finally, in July 2001 at a Special Session of the MPR, Wahid was removed as president. Megawati was then elected as president to replace him with Hamzah as her vice president, becoming Indonesia's first female president. They party, however, faced further splits after Megawati became president with more disillusioned members leaving the party. Two of them were Megawati's own sisters. In May 2002,
Sukmawati Sukarnoputri formed the
Indonesian National Party Marhaenism (PNI-Marhaenisme). This was followed in November 2002, with
Rachmawati Sukarnoputri
Diah Permana Rachmawati Sukarno or also known as Rachmawati Sukarnoputri (27 September 1950 – 3 July 2021) was an Indonesian politician. Her father was Indonesia's founding president Sukarno and her elder sister is Megawati Sukarnoputri, who ...
declaring the formation of the
Pioneers' Party (PP).
2004 elections
By 2004, the reformist sentiments that had led PDI-P to victory in the 1999 elections had died down. Many were disappointed with what the reform process had achieved thus far and were also disappointed with Megawati's presidency. This was reflected in the
2004 legislative election, PDI-P obtained 18.5% of the total vote, down from the 33.7% it obtained in 1999.
PDI-P nominated Megawati as its presidential candidate for the
2004 presidential election. Several running mates were considered, including Hamzah Haz (to renew the partnership),
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), and
Jusuf Kalla. Megawati eventually selected
Nahdatul Ulama
Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership estimates range from 40 million (2013) to over 95 million (2021), making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU also is a charitable body funding sch ...
chairman Hasyim Muzadi as her running mate. It was expected that she would appeal to nationalist sentiments while Hasyim would appeal to Islamist voters. In the first round of elections, the pairing came second to SBY/Kalla. To improve their chances in the run-off, the PDI-P formed a coalition with the PPP, Golkar, the
Reform Star Party
The Reform Star Party ( id, Partai Bintang Reformasi) was an Islamist political party in Indonesia. The party was merged into Great Indonesia Movement Party in February 2011.
Background
The party began as a movement within the United Developm ...
(PBR) and the
Prosperous Peace Party
The Prosperous Peace Party ( id, Partai Damai Sejahtera) was a Christian-democratic political party in Indonesia. It portrayed itself as the reincarnation of Parkindo, the Indonesian Christian Party, which contested the 1955 and 1971 elections. Alt ...
(PDS) in August 2004. However, they were defeated in the run-off against SBY/Kalla. The National Coalition then turned their eyes on being the opposition in the DPR for the SBY/Kalla government. With Kalla's election as chairman of Golkar, Golkar defected to the government's side, leaving the PDI-P as the only major opposition party in the DPR.
2005 party congress
On 28 March 2005, the second PDI-P Congress was held in
Sanur,
Bali
Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...
where Megawati was re-elected to the chairpersonship for a third term. Her brother,
Guruh Sukarnoputra
Muhammad Guruh Irianto Sukarnoputra (born 13 January 1953) is a member of Indonesia's People's Representative Council and an artist. He is the youngest son of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno with his third wife, Fatmawati, and the brother ...
, was chosen as head of the party's Education and Culture department. This congress was noted for the formation of a faction called the Renewal of PDI-P Movement. It called for a renewal of the party leadership if it was to win the 2009 legislative elections. Although they attended the Congress, the members left once Megawati was re-elected. In December 2005, these same members would form the
Democratic Renewal Party (PDP).
2009 elections
The party came third in the
2009 legislative election with 14% of the votes. It had 95 seats in the DPR. Megawati was chosen as the presidential candidate, this time with a coalition between the
Great Indonesia Movement Party
The Gerindra Party (acronym for , ) is a political party in Indonesia. Formed in 2008, Gerindra serves as the political vehicle of former general Prabowo Subianto. It is presently the third-largest party in the House of Representatives, where it ...
and PDI-P themselves, with
Prabowo Subianto
Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo (born 17 October 1951) is an Indonesian politician, businessman and former army lieutenant general who is the currently-appointed Minister of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia. He is the son of Sumitro Djojoh ...
as her running mate. They lost to SBY, with Boediono as vice-president, who won 26.6% of the vote.
2014 elections
In March 2014, the party nominated Jakarta governor
Joko Widodo as its presidential candidate, with
Jusuf Kalla as his running mate. The pairing won with 53.15% of the vote, and PDI-P returned as the largest party in the DPR, winning nearly 19% of the vote.
2019 elections
In April 2019, incumbent president Joko Widodo was the party's presidential candidate running for a second term, with
Ma'ruf Amin
Ma'ruf Amin (born 11 March 1943) is an Indonesian politician, Islamic cleric, and lecturer who is the 13th and current vice president of Indonesia. Aged nearly 77 years old when inaugurated, he is the oldest Indonesian vice president to ever ...
as his running mate. Widodo won successful won a second term with 55.50% of the vote. PDI-P remained the largest party in the DPR, winning 19.33% of the vote.
"''Banteng'' versus ''Celeng''" Faction Rivalry
Amidst preparation to compete in the
2024 Indonesian general election, the party experienced a split into two factions. Younger PDI-P generation cadres expressed their distaste for
Puan Maharani
Puan Maharani Nakshatra Kusyala Devi (born 6 September 1973) is an Indonesian politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), who is serving as the current speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), Indonesia's lower ho ...
(the preferred candidate by older generation cadres of the party). They favoured
Ganjar Pranowo
Ganjar Pranowo (born 28 October 1968) is the Governor of Central Java who has served since 23 August 2013. He is a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. Previously, he was a member of the People's Representative Council of the ...
, who, despite being popular, asserted that he doesn't intend to be a presidential candidate. On 9 October 2021, Bambang Wuryanto, Chief of PDI-P Central Java Regional Branch, delivered an
adage
An adage (; Latin: adagium) is a memorable and usually philosophical aphorism that communicates an important truth derived from experience, custom, or both, and that many people consider true and credible because of its longeval tradition, i.e. ...
that party cadres, officials, and officers must follow one command from the higher command, the "''Banteng''" (Javanese of "
Bull
A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions,
includin ...
s") command, which supported Maharani. For those who do not support her, he called them "''Celeng''" (Javanese of "
Wild Boars
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is n ...
"). In response to Wuryanto's adage, young PDI-P cadres reacted strongly over it and launched ''Barisan Celeng Berjuang'' (English: Movement of Struggling Boars) campaign on 12 October 2021 against Wuryanto and the central leadership of PDI-P, who they believe are unrealistic for pushing Maharani as a candidate. The movement also launched a flag, which satirized the PDI-P flag and has an inverted colour scheme (Black Bull in Red Flag for PDI-P, and Red Boar in Black Flag for ''Barisan Celeng Berjuang''), as a sign of defiance against the central command of PDI-P.
As the result of the faction rivalry, on 15 October 2021, all involved cadres from both sides are sanctioned by the PDI-P central committee for attempting to bypass the party's central leadership decision-making process. The central committee reasserted that the decision on establishing the presidential candidate vested on Megawati only. The central committee also asked the cadres to cease the rivalry.
Party policies and program
According to its website, the party aims to realize the aims contained in the preamble to the
1945 Constitution in the form of a just and prosperous society and to bring about an Indonesia that is socially just as well as politically sovereign and economically self-sufficient, and that is Indonesian in character and culture.
At the party's fourth congress in 2015, the PDIP issued a seven-point statement entitled "Realizing Great Indonesia, an Indonesia that is Truly Independent", in which it committed itself to oversee the program of the central government and ensuring it keeps its campaign promises while reinforcing its position as a political force and underlining its support for the
poor and battling structural poverty.
Chairperson
*
Megawati Sukarnoputri (1999–present)
Election results
Legislative election results
Presidential election results
''Note: Bold text indicates party member''
References
External links
1999 Legislative Elections Profile*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Indonesian Democratic Party - Struggle
1998 establishments in Indonesia
Nationalist parties in Asia
Pancasila political parties
Political parties established in 1998
Political parties in Indonesia
Progressive Alliance