Prabowo Confident PDIP Will Ultimately Join Forces to Defend the Nation

President Prabowo Subianto has expressed his conviction that the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) is patriotic and consistently prioritises the interests of defending the nation and state. He conveyed this before political party elites, including PDIP figure Djarot Syaiful Hidayat, at the 28th anniversary celebration of the National Awakening Party (PKB) in Jakarta on Thursday (23/7). “And in the end, I believe PDIP will also join us in defending the country and the nation. That is my instinct, that is my gut feeling,” Prabowo said. Prabowo is confident that PDIP is patriotic, stating that all are children of the Indonesian nation. He noted that competition is healthy and that political differences are commonplace. “Sometimes we part ways, no problem, later we will reunite. PDIP’s heart is essentially the same as ours,” he remarked. Prabowo believes that PDIP also has good intentions to jointly build the Indonesian nation. “We have no issues. Being criticised is good; criticism saves, criticism actually reminds us,” he said. PDIP Chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri previously issued an internal letter explaining the party’s position as a balancing force to President Prabowo Subianto’s Merah Putih cabinet coalition. In the letter, Megawati wrote that she had conveyed this position during the PDIP’s Sixth Congress in Badung Regency, Bali, on 1 August 2025. She stated that Indonesia’s presidential system does not recognise the terms opposition and coalition. “Indonesian democracy is not a bloc-based democracy, but one that rests on popular sovereignty and constitutional supremacy,” Megawati wrote. According to Megawati, the continuity of government is not determined by majority support in the House of Representatives (DPR). The president cannot be removed simply for losing political support in parliament, except through the impeachment mechanism. “This differs from a parliamentary system, where the government is formed by a majority party or coalition in parliament and must continuously maintain parliamentary confidence,” she said. Megawati added that politics should not merely be a tool for seeking power and positions. Politics, she said, must be an instrument for maintaining a healthy, civilised democracy with social justice. She stated that PDIP will continue to support government policies that favour the people, and vice versa. “PDI Perjuangan, as a balancing force, does not position itself as a force that rejects the government a priori,” she said.