Ahmad Ali Claims 'Political Dowry' Prompted His Exit from NasDem
Ahmad Ali, the Daily Chairman of the PSI Central Executive Board, has admitted that his exit from NasDem was triggered by political ‘dowry’ during the 2024 Presidential Election.
He stated that he received unpleasant treatment after failing to provide the political dowry requested by NasDem Party Chairman Surya Paloh at the time. “It means this: when the dowry is not met, I am treated inappropriately and unnaturally. Everyone knows that I was the one who initiated the presidential election process, and I was the only person mandated by the party to be the person in charge of the Presidential Election. The [dowry] was enough to buy or build ‘Nasdem Tower 2’,” Ali said during the ‘What the Fact Politics’ podcast by CNN Indonesia on Friday (19/6).
He further described his decision to leave NasDem as more accurately being ‘discarded’ by the party under Surya Paloh’s leadership. Ali also noted that despite his position as Vice Chairman of NasDem at the time, it did not make it any easier to obtain a recommendation to run in the 2024 Central Sulawesi Gubernatorial Election.
“Even just to get a recommendation to run for Governor, it was incredibly difficult,” he said.
He criticised NasDem, which he claims has long championed morality, values, and ‘restoration’, arguing that the practice does not align with these ideals. “So, in the end, I thought that I should no longer be here,” he added.
Nevertheless, Ali emphasised that his personal relationship with Surya Paloh remains intact. He stated that he holds Paloh in high regard and considers him a mentor.
“In NasDem, I learned about values, but ultimately, the values taught were not consistently fought for. Therefore, for me, the personal relationship has never been an issue,” Ali remarked.
Ahmad Ali joined PSI in September 2025, following his tenure as a prominent figure in NasDem. He had been a member of NasDem since 2013.
A politician from Central Sulawesi, Ali began his political career after being elected as a member of the Morowali Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) for the 2009-2014 period representing the Patriot Party. However, in 2013, Ali moved to NasDem. A year later, he ran for the House of Representatives (DPR) from NasDem representing the Central Sulawesi constituency. Ahmad Ali was officially appointed as a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) for the 2019-2024 period after securing 152,270 valid votes in that constituency.