TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Puan Maharani grew up being schooled in the classic adage, "politics is the art of the possible." After the 'pariah' days of the PDI-P following the 1996 incident, her mother Megawati gradually rose to power, becoming Indonesia's fifth president, although she failed to win her presidential bid at the following elections. These political ups and downs in the past two decades are what shaped Puan's transformation into the political figure she has become.
She took active part in political discussions around the dinner table and accompanied her mother to meetings in the living room. Eventually, Puan made that irreversible leap into the world of Indonesian politics. She it was, not Megawati, who read out the chairperson's message appointing Jokowi as the PDI-P candidate in the race to win the 2014-2019 presidency. "Political work does not yield instant results," she told Tempo.
PDI-P's recent victory is actually not the first to have been savored by this mother-and-daughter team. Puan successfully led the campaign that gave the Central Java governership to party member Ganjar Pranowo in 2013. She also brought victory to the district elections at Jimbrana, Bali as well as in Banyumas and Sukoharjo in Central Java.
At the end of polling day last week, Puan met with Tempo reporters Widiarsi Agustina, Heru Triyono and Sundari for a comprehensive interview on a range of topics, from the party machinery to Jokowi's nomination as its presidential candidate and her differences with her famous mother. Excerpts:
After waiting 10 years, PDI-P has finally won an election, although the 27.02 percent target was not achieved.
This is what we are trying to determine. There must have been something wrong in our strategy. The quick count's margin of error is 1 percent. Let's hope that 1 percent will go to PDI-P.
Jokowi's nomination as the party's presidential candidate seems to have failed its predicted effect.
I refuse to speculate. We will wait for the results of the General Elections Commission (KPU). I don't want members to blame each other. I can assure you that the campaign team and the legislative candidates, both in the center and in the regions, remain united.
What special activities were carried out to achieve the target?
Political work is unlikely to yield instant results. We had activated the political machinery at all levels. During the past year we conducted massive consolidation, focusing on grooming and building leadership capacity. Of course, there's no way of deploying people to 34 provinces and close to 500 districts and municipalities. That's why, at the start of the competition, we mapped the 77 voting areas.
What for?
It provided a reference point on local issues raised, and what was taboo. We had a picture on how and where we should compete. Last January, surveys showed that we stood at 18-21 percentage, with a rising trend. Based on that, I was convinced we would win.
But wasn't that predicted?
That's the trend we read as of three years ago. Our political movements were known and appreciated by the public. In any case, this is the consequence of our position for the past 10 years, during which we have been outside of the government. Of course, it hasn't been easy to place ourself as a critical opposition to the government's policies, which we don't regard as pro-people.
You carried the theme 'Outstanding Indonesia' during the campaign. What exactly does that mean?
[It's a call] to create an Indonesia that is greater than what it is today, by applying the modernized Pancasila theme. That's our way of telling people [about our plan], particularly the first-time voters.
In your opinion, can Jokowi be seen as a personification of Sukarno's ideology?
I have known him for a long time. Pak Jokowi knows well the aspirations and ideology of Bung Karno. I'm sure that Jokowi understands that saying "Jas Merah, Jangan Sekali-kali Melupakan Sejarah" (Wear the Red Coat and Never Forget History). As a Javanese, I understand that being cursed is not as bad as (the consequences) of forgetting history.
Is this a kind of a warning or threat?
Not a threat, that's the way things are. Anyone who betrays Bung Karno's convictions and this has been proven in reality that nothing happens to him. He does not need to be strangled, beaten up, he just disappears. Believe it or not.
Do you think Jokowi is an asset or a liability?
Jokowi is a party cadre. Cadres are assets.
But Jokowi's nomination has led to massive attacks on the PDI-P. He is bullied in the social media. Is there a team to fight that?
There is. Our aim is to counter that, so the public is aware which is right and which is wrong. In the past we were unprepared for such black campaign, and a negative public opinion was formed against the PDI-P. No more, we are not keeping quiet. (*)
Read the full interview in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine
