April 4, 2025
JAKARTA – After months of delays, the Gerindra Party and the de facto opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) have agreed to push for a long-awaited meeting between their respective leaders, President Prabowo Subianto and Megawati Soekarnoputri, according to several senior politicians from both sides.
Senior Gerindra politician Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, who is also House of Representatives Deputy Speaker, said he had spoken about a renewed plan for the Prabowo-Megawati meeting with PDI-P executive and Megawati’s daughter Puan Maharani, who is also his direct superior as House Speaker.
“We both have agreed that [a meeting] should take place as soon as possible,” Dasco said on Wednesday, as quoted by Tempo.co.
“When will it happen, exactly? Let’s just wait and see. I briefly discussed it with Mbak [Ms.] Puan earlier,” he added.
Expectations have been high for a potential meeting between the two leaders since the end of the 2024 presidential election, which Prabowo won, but the encounter has yet to occur.
Analysts have said the fractured relationship between Megawati and former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who was stripped of his PDI-P membership for backing Prabowo instead of the party’s candidate Ganjar Pranowo, had complicated plans for a meeting.
The renewed plan surfaced after Prabowo’s son, Ragowo “Didit” Hediprasetyo, visited Megawati’s private residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta, for the first day of Idul Fitri on Monday. When asked about the purpose of his visit, Didit told reporters he had come to offer his holiday greetings.
Read also: Prabowo’s son pays visit to PDI-P’s Megawati on Idul Fitri
Puan declined to reveal any details regarding the plans for the meeting, telling reporters on Wednesday that it would take place “as soon as possible” after the holiday.
She made the remarks after attending a private Idul Fitri gathering hosted by Gerindra politician Ahmad Muzani, who is also Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR).
Puan also said Megawati and Prabowo were unable to meet over Idul Fitri due to their busy schedules, but her mother had asked Didit to pass on her warm regards and wishes for the President’s health and well-being.
According to PDI-P spokesperson Ahmad Basarah, a meeting between the two political bigwigs is “simply a matter of time”.
“[Megawati] has often said that she maintains a long-standing relationship with Pak [Mr.] Prabowo and that continues to this day, as shown by Pak Didit’s visit to her home,” Basarah said in a statement.
Citing anonymous sources, Tempo reported earlier this year that the two leaders had held a private teleconference around Megawati’s birthday in January. During that call, the country’s fifth president reportedly offered to cook fried rice for Prabowo, the same gesture she made after he lost the 2019 presidential election.