March 17, 2025
JAKARTA – Five months after stepping down as Indonesia’s president, Mr Joko Widodo has been kept busy by the queue of people keen to meet him at his house in Solo in Central Java, seeking his advice, bringing petitions or just to thank him for his contributions to the country.
His social media posts highlight meetings with a local soccer club, undergraduates and community leaders.
Reflecting his continued political influence, Jokowi – as the former president is popularly known – has also welcomed prominent figures including businessman Mochtar Riady and his family, former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and, most recently, Mr Hashim Djojohadikusumo, the brother of and adviser to President Prabowo Subianto.
About the Feb 26 visit by Tun Dr Mahathir and his daughter Marina, Mr Widodo shared on Facebook how he, his wife and his guests “had active discussions while eating at our home, buying batik and touring historical places in Solo”.
Mr Widodo’s support was instrumental in Mr Prabowo’s victory in the February 2024 presidential election, and his elder son Gibran Rakabuming Raka now serves as Indonesia’s vice-president.
And now, the partyless Mr Widodo, 63, is preparing to parlay his enduring popularity with Indonesians, accrued over his 10 years in power, by forming what he calls “Partai Super Terbuka”, or Super Party PLC. Terbuka, or Tbk, refers to the Indonesian version of a public limited company (PLC), where the company’s shares can be owned by the public.
Mr Widodo touched on the Super Party concept on Feb 11 in an interview on Mata Najwa, a YouTube show hosted by presenter Najwa Shihab.
“We want a political party that is super open… which is owned by all members. That is the ideal political party in the future, I think,” he said, adding that plans for the party are still being finalised.
At a meeting with local media on Feb 14, he said the proposed party would involve all stakeholders in its decision-making process.
His proposition has already drawn interest, with major parties such as Golkar and National Awakening Party having requested more details. Volunteer groups aligned with the former president, including Volunteer Front for Jokowi for President and Projo, which stands for Pro Jokowi, quickly voiced support.
Mr Widodo has hit Indonesia’s constitutional term limit after two terms and cannot run for president again.
But having a political “home” should help Mr Widodo boost his political influence and could also aid Mr Gibran, 37, and his son-in-law Bobby Nasution, 33, attain higher political office down the road, say analysts. Mr Bobby is the governor of North Sumatra province.
“When Jokowi stepped down as president, all the authoritative power moved to Prabowo. But Jokowi still retains influence,” Dr Cecep Hidayat, a lecturer at the Department of Political Science, University of Indonesia, told The Straits Times.
“But now, he wants to make Super Party, which may boost (his influence)… This Super Party can be his strategy to have a political vehicle,” Dr Cecep added.
Mr Widodo, Mr Gibran and Mr Bobby were dismissed from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in December 2024 after a long rift with its chief, Ms Megawati Soekarnoputri.
“When he stepped down, Jokowi was different from other former presidents like Megawati, who returned as the chairwoman of PDI-P,” said Dr Cecep. “He is different from SBY (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono), who became the ‘owner’ of the Democratic Party,” Dr Cecep added.
Jakarta-based political analyst Hendri Satrio said that, in theory, the concept of an open party already exists in Indonesia’s political system.
“All political parties are actually super open, where everyone can apply as a member and has the opportunity to reach the top,” he said.
But in practice, most political parties are tightly controlled by Indonesia’s political elites.
“Eight political parties with seats in the House of Representatives in Senayan have become elite-owned parties. From the decision-making process to its regulations, all are run by the elites,” Mr Hendri said, adding that this is why Mr Widodo’s idea is interesting.
A key feature of the Super Party model is that members can directly choose their leader and push for party policies, with the aim of eliminating elite political privileges.
Currently, most of the large parties elect their leaders through regional representatives during their congresses.
For Islam-leaning Prosperous Justice Party, its leader is chosen by the Majelis Syuro, its highest leadership council.
Mr Andy Budiman, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), which has no MPs in Parliament, told ST that his party will adopt the Super Party concept during its upcoming annual congress in May.
He added that PSI will be transformed into Super Party, although there has been no indication of this from Mr Widodo.
“It will be the antithesis of a political party owned by the elites. (Super Party) will be owned by each individual, the members in the party,” he said, referring to the new transformation of the party in relation to Mr Widodo’s Super Party concept.
“Through the congress, we will change the party’s basic rules so that in future, the party chairman will be elected openly – one man, one vote. All members can choose through e-vote. It will be the first in Indonesia,” Mr Andy added.
However, the one-man, one-vote principle is in direct conflict with a PLC concept, Dr Cecep noted.
“If Super Party PLC has a structure akin to a corporation where the public can buy its shares, this party will depend on the majority who owns the shares… This kind of party is prone to ‘elite investment’ rather than ideological struggles,” he said.
Separately, the Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate the so-called presidential threshold in the next national election will be a boon for small and new parties, including the Super Party in the making.
The Jan 2 ruling essentially means that even parties without a single seat in Parliament can nominate a candidate, breaking up the previous cosy arrangements between the big parties.
This would enable, say, the PSI – which is chaired by Mr Widodo’s second son Kaesang Pangarep – to nominate Mr Gibran to run in the next presidential election in 2029, without having to ally up with other parties.
Previously, a presidential candidate could be nominated only by a party or coalition that has at least 20 per cent of seats in the 580-strong Parliament.
- Stania Puspawardhani is Indonesia correspondent for The Straits Times, based in Jakarta.