PDIP's Said Responds to PSI's Ambition to Turn Central Java into a 'Gajah' Stronghold

PDI Perjuangan (PDIP) senior politician Said Abdullah has responded to claims by the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) that it intends to make Central Java its stronghold, or ‘elephant pen’. Central Java has long been known as a ‘bull’s pen’, serving as a primary vote bank for PDIP.

Said Abdullah questioned who was behind the idea that PSI would dominate Central Java. “Who made this hoax?” he said at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Monday, 6 July 2026.

The claim that Central Java would become an ‘elephant pen’ was made by the Chairman of PSI’s Central Java Regional Board, Antonius Yogo, while explaining preparations for former President Joko Widodo’s tour of the region in July. Yogo proposed that Jokowi visit the majority of areas in Central Java as a reflection of PSI’s standing.

PSI’s ambition to turn Central Java into a vote bank for the 2029 General Election was previously conveyed by PSI General Chairman Kaesang Pangarep during the party’s Central Java Regional Coordination Meeting held in Solo on Thursday, 8 January 2026.

“Central Java is an elephant’s pen. PSI is here for the people of Central Java. Please help us work and move towards the 2029 General Election,” Kaesang said.

According to Kaesang, this target can only be achieved with a solid party structure down to the grassroots level. He repeatedly stressed the importance of organisational consolidation from the provincial to the sub-branch level as the key to passing election verification and serving as a winning machine.

“The key to our victory is the structure. If the structure is strong, we can win absolutely in Central Java,” Kaesang stated.