DPR parties cautioned over Jokowi's PSI political safari

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Senior Political Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Lili Romli, has warned that political parties currently in the House of Representatives must remain vigilant about President Joko Widodo’s political safari with the Solidarity Party (PSI). According to Lili, Jokowi’s visits to various regions could erode the support bases of parties currently holding seats in the House of Representatives. “Yes, they must be wary. They don’t want their supporter base to migrate to PSI,” Lili said when contacted on Thursday (28 May 2026). The University of Indonesia’s Professor of Political Science added that parties in the House of Representatives would not stand idly by if their voter base starts shifting to PSI. “Moreover, if PSI continues, the existing parties will not accept their votes shifting. They will strive to hold onto their seats and avoid being displaced by newcomers,” Lili said. Previously, Lili stated that Jokowi’s political safari is strongly suspected to aim at boosting PSI’s electability to secure parliamentary seats in the 2029 elections. According to her, Jokowi’s visits to various regions are not merely to greet the public but also to maintain the loyalty of his supporters so they will politically back PSI. “I believe the political safari is intended to boost PSI’s electability to secure parliamentary seats,” Lili said. “With the political safari, his supporters are not only being greeted but also encouraged to provide their support and votes to PSI,” she added. According to Lili, Jokowi’s move also aims to expand PSI’s support base beyond Central Java, which has long been considered one of the former president’s main strongholds. However, Lili believes the success of Jokowi’s political safari in boosting PSI’s votes remains to be proven. According to her, the move also serves as a test of whether Jokowi’s supporters remain loyal after he leaves office. “The question is whether the political safari will successfully boost PSI’s votes. This will undoubtedly test Jokowi’s ability to retain his supporters’ loyalty,” Lili concluded.