PDIP East Java Pushes RedTalks as a Platform for Youth Aspirations
The East Java Regional Leadership Council (DPD) of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) is promoting its RedTalks program as a platform to absorb the aspirations, criticisms, and ideas of the younger generation. This was emphasised following the successful RedTalks 2026 event titled ‘Indonesia Has Us: Generation Without Limits Nationalism’, which attracted the attention of hundreds of young people at the Malang Creative Center on Saturday (25/7).
DPD PDIP East Java Secretary, Deni Wicaksono, stated that RedTalks will serve as a party vehicle to gather various inputs and aspirations from young people and the general public. ‘Our hope is that RedTalks will expand its reach across various regencies and cities, whether on campuses, in coffee shops, or in cafes. We want to create these events so that input from even the smallest communities can be accommodated,’ Deni said on Saturday (25/7).
Deni explained that PDIP will consistently hold RedTalks in various regions so that all levels of society can convey their input to the government. ‘At PDIP, we will try to organise and collect these aspirations, then formulate them into policy. Whether it is internal party policy or we assign PDIP cadres in the legislative and executive branches,’ he explained.
Deni also noted the various challenges raised by young people in the Greater Malang area, including criticisms from academics such as Rocky Gerung and Suko Widodo. ‘The challenges presented by Bung Rocky were interesting for the youth of Malang, for cadres, and especially for activists, to see how Marhaenism remains highly relevant today,’ he said. ‘Our task is to make the political party an open space for young people. We have proven that PDIP opens that space, where young people are given opportunities without necessarily having to become party structures or legislative candidates, but we open discussion spaces so that their input can be accommodated and turned into programmes of struggle.’
According to Deni, the problems facing young people today are highly varied, ranging from employment to the rising cost of living. ‘This is our challenge, and we will try to dissect it one by one. This requires cooperation from all stakeholders. In Malang, we only have a regional head in Malang Regency, but not in Malang City or Batu City. So, communication must be built between the legislative and executive branches,’ he explained. ‘Hard work and collaboration are needed. PDIP cadres must have substance in capturing the desires and aspirations of young people. We have a party school, and our roadmap is heading there. We conduct regeneration and training for cadres so that they have substance and the branding is not empty.’
Deni cited the example of a previous RedTalks event in Surabaya, where the party immediately followed up on various inputs from residents and young people. ‘During the RedTalks in Surabaya, many suggestions were received and we have already applied them. One suggestion was that political parties should not only deal with politics or government affairs, but also become a space for young people to be creative. One result is that next month, in August, we will hold the Soekarno Cup. This is how PDIP accommodates and explores the potential of young people, especially under-17 football players who will compete,’ he revealed. ‘We will also hold our Soekarno Run event and will again hold RedTalks in other areas so that the aspirations, suggestions, and criticisms that come in can be accommodated and turned into a roadmap and programmes of struggle within PDIP, as well as part of the duties of our cadres in the legislative, executive, and party structures.’
The Deputy Speaker of the East Java Regional House of Representatives also expressed surprise at the high level of enthusiasm from young people and students in Greater Malang who attended the RedTalks event in person. ‘We see, frankly, this was beyond our expectations. The enthusiasm of young people, especially in Greater Malang, was extraordinary. The seats were full, and some people were even standing, even outside. We apologise for the limited space. But this will be a big challenge for us to accommodate all forms of input, criticism, and suggestions, and this is homework for PDIP East Java,’ he said.