Prabowo Claims PDIP's Heart Is 'Actually the Same' as Government Coalition
President Prabowo Subianto has said that the heart of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) is the same as that of the government coalition parties. The Gerindra Party chairman made the remarks while delivering a speech at the peak event marking the 28th anniversary of the National Awakening Party (PKB) at the Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta on Thursday evening, 23 July 2026.
According to Prabowo, competition and contest are good things. “Sometimes we part ways, that’s fine. We’ll come together again later. PDIP’s heart is actually the same as ours. Just check it. In its heart, it’s really the same. The 1945 Constitution was drafted by Bung Karno and Bung Hatta, yes, the founders of our nation. Their hearts are the same,” Prabowo said.
The difference, Prabowo said, is that PDIP has not yet formulated a recommendation such as the one drawn up by the Ijtima Ulama. Prabowo stressed that criticism is actually good and can even be a saving grace.
“But there is a difference between criticism and abuse, right? Criticism and slander are different. But there’s no problem. If we are correct, if we uphold the truth, if we are on the right path, there is no problem, we will remain strong,” Prabowo said.
Nearly two years into Prabowo Subianto’s administration, PDIP remains the only parliamentary party outside the cabinet. In early July, PDIP’s political direction within Indonesia’s constitutional landscape after its sixth congress was reaffirmed by PDIP chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri through an internal letter.
The letter, numbered 1275/IN/DPP/VII/2026, contained Megawati’s message to cadres of the white-muzzled bull party regarding their position in the government of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
Megawati stated that the presidential system of government adopted by Indonesia does not recognise the terms “opposition” and “coalition” as constitutional categories regulated by the constitution. According to her, Indonesian democracy is not a constellation of power blocs, but rather rests on the sovereignty of the people and the supremacy of the constitution.
She also reminded that Indonesian democracy must not drift towards a concentration of power that weakens the mechanisms of oversight and correction. A healthy democracy, she said, in fact requires a balance of power, respect for constitutional supremacy, and the moral courage to offer criticism and correction for the sake of the nation and state.
For Megawati, without a countervailing force, democracy loses its corrective power, and government risks drifting away from the people’s interests. “It is in that context that PDI Perjuangan positions itself as a balancing party,” Megawati said in the letter.