Projo Secretary-General: There is No Competition Between Projo and PSI to 'Win Over' Jokowi
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Secretary-General of Projo, Freddy Alex Damanik, stated that the relationship between his organization and the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) is very good, with open communication, and a shared history of supporting the leadership of the 7th President, Joko Widodo (Jokowi), for a long time.
According to him, Projo was born from a grassroots movement to support Jokowi’s leadership, and it even existed before Jokowi became President.
Therefore, Freddy said, the values of Jokowi’s leadership and struggle are what have brought Projo and Jokowi together until now. He affirmed that PSI and Projo are not competing for Jokowi’s favour.
“There is no such thing as ‘competing for Jokowi,’ because Mr. Jokowi does not belong to any particular group or party, but is a national figure who belongs to the Indonesian people, a leader of the people who was born from the people themselves,” Freddy told Kompas.com on Friday (May 15, 2026).
He claimed that Projo has good relations with many PSI figures, both from the founding generation and the current leadership.
“Our good relations remain intact with Chairman Kaesang, with Chairman of the Advisory Board Jeffrie Geovanie, Grace Natalie, Raja Juli Antoni, Ade Armando, Faldo Maldini and almost all the old figures in PSI,” he said.
Because, the most important thing today is not about who is closest to Jokowi, but who is most consistent in preserving his work during the past 10 years.
“Projo views PSI as a partner in many ways. Differences in organizational positions are common in democracy, but the ultimate goal is the same: to keep Indonesia moving forward and maintain the spirit of the people that Mr. Jokowi has passed on,” Freddy emphasized.
“So we invite all parties, including the media and observers, not to create excessive competitive rhetoric as if there is a conflict between Jokowi’s supporters. The nation’s energy should be directed towards helping the current Prabowo-Gibran government and maintaining national unity, rather than creating new polarization,” he added.
Bestari also mentioned that Projo had stated that their acronym does not stand for ‘Pro Jokowi’.
“We prepared it. I don’t know what Projo is, what is Projo? Projo isn’t ‘Pro Jokowi’, right? At that time, they said it. So it’s a bit confusing for you to ask me, which Projo? The one that no longer supports Jokowi?” Bestari said to Kompas.com on Thursday (May 14, 2026).
Regarding Jokowi’s tour of Indonesia, Bestari emphasized that PSI is still preparing for it.
“But regarding where Mr. Jokowi will go, we have been preparing for it since the national working meeting in Makassar. We are preparing a roadmap for Jokowi’s journey towards the success of PSI in 2029,” he added.
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