“Jokowi’s Relationship with Surya Paloh at its Lowest Point Amid Reshuffle Speculations”

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi responding to his relationship with the General Chairperson of the NasDem Party, Surya Paloh, which is currently at its lowest point. Even on May 2, Jokowi deliberately did not invite Surya when he met the general chairmen of the coalition parties at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.

“I’m normal,” Jokowi said with a smile, when met after the simultaneous national planting of mangroves at the Angke Mangrove Nature Park, North Jakarta, Monday, May 15 2023.

There are no other sentences delivered by Jokowi to answer the question of his relationship with Surya. In fact, Jokowi confirmed that there are no plans to meet Surya again in the near future.

However, when asked if there is a possibility reshuffle will target ministers from NasDem, Jokowi does not deny this. “Yes, you can,” said the head of state.

Previously, Magazine Tempo This May 14 edition contains a report on the strain between Surya and Jokowi in recent times. Surya admits that his relationship with Jokowi is at its lowest point.

His party has clearly rejected the extension of the presidential term which is supported by coalition parties. The climax, when he declared the former Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan as a presidential candidate.

“There are no other issues that strain the relationship,” Surya said in a joint interview Tempo at his office on the 20th floor of NasDem Tower, Menteng, Central Jakarta, Tuesday, 9 May 2023.

Surya spoke to Tempo at length about his recent relationship with President Jokowi. At the same time, the issue of reshuffling ministers from the NasDem Party also emerged.

“I say, the best is when trust among us are still awake. I expect that more,” Surya said when asked whether NasDem would withdraw all of its ministers if only one was removed from the cabinet. “If that is not there, perhaps it will be very difficult,” he added.

Currently, there are three NasDem ministers in Jokowi’s government. Minister of Forestry and Environment Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister of Communication and Information Johnny Gerard Plate, and Minister of Agriculture Syahrul Yasin Limpo.

Reshuffle issue

The issue of a reshuffle has intensified, especially after Jokowi met all coalition party leaders supporting the government at the Merdeka Palace on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. Starting from the general chairman of the PDI Perjuangan Megawati Soekarnoputri, the general chairman of Golkar Airlangga Hartarto, the general chairman of Gerindra Prabowo Subianto, the general chairman of the United Party Development (PPP) Muhammad Mardiono, General Chair of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Zulkifli Hasan, and General Chair of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Muhaimin Iskandar.

Surya Paloh and NasDem, which are party members of the government coalition, were not invited. Two days later, Jokowi admitted that he had deliberately not invited Surya.

Advertisement

The reason is because NasDem now has its own coalition, namely the Coalition for Change with the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party. “Let’s talk about it as it is,” Jokowi said after visiting Sarinah Mall, Central Jakarta, Thursday, May 4, 2023.

Meanwhile, he said, the six parties that were present at the State Palace last Tuesday also wanted to build good political cooperation. “What should this grand strategy have, yes the people here (NasDem) know the strategy, in politics it’s normal, normal,” said Jokowi.

Jokowi also emphasized that apart from being a public official, he is also a political official. So, he considers it natural when he talks about politics.

“I can talk about it, right? That’s the job of a president, only if there is a new KPU decree, I will …,” said Jokowi, not continuing his statement.

Surya continued, that not all political parties have a rhythm, model and style the same party management. At NasDem, Surya said he offered the idea of ​​being a party institution, which was not necessarily easy to digest and understand, let alone the public’s belief.

“I propose that one of the operational implementations is politics without dowry. Who believes that? That means I am synonymous with rejecting potential income of over Rp. 1 trillion.

In fact, said Surya, the practice of dowry politics so far can be more than Rp. 1 trillion. Nevertheless, Surya is aware that this political commitment without a dowry is not necessarily recorded by the public, elites or observers. “That, to be honest, is the space of idealism that I want to try to implement,” he said.

Surya said, currently there is luxury room for such a great party, namely from choosing presidents, governors, mayors, to making and amending laws. But Surya believes the situation could be damaged if rights are not balanced with obligations, one of which is through the process of political education.

However, Surya was reluctant to speculate further on what would happen in the future reshuffle indeed a way to expel NasDem from the government coalition. “I suspect with good presumptions. Just positive thinking,” he said.

The full story about relationships Solar Paloh and Jokowi, who are increasingly stretched, are revealed in more detail in the report of the May 14 edition of Tempo Magazine entitled “Parting Ways of Former Second-Secondants.”