PSI Executive Says Dozens of Active DPR Members Will Soon Join the Elephant Party
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — The Deputy Chairman of the Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), Bestari Barus, stated that dozens of DPR members will join the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI). Bestari said that those switching allegiance to the elephant party are not only from the NasDem Party.
“(NasDem cadres switching to PSI?) There are many switching. For example, one of them is me. Then there’s another who is still active, Rusdi Masse. Yes, the Deputy Chairman of Commission III who has now switched to PSI and left his position as Deputy Chairman of Commission III of the DPR RI. Ah, that’s normal, there are still 15 to 20 more (people) who want to switch,” said Bestari on Monday (13/4/2026).
Nevertheless, she declined to detail who they are or from which parties these figures will switch. However, she claimed that there are a dozen who will migrate to PSI.
“I cannot state today which parties they are from, but there are still 15 to 20 (people) active DPR members who want to join,” she said.
When asked about the reasons behind this “mass exodus” of these politicians, Bestari Barus emphasised that the figure of the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi), is the main magnet. Jokowi’s status as PSI’s patron is said to be able to stir the interest of politicians to join.
“Since it became known that Mr Jokowi is the patron of PSI, that has greatly stirred the feelings of many politicians to join PSI in the future because of Mr Jokowi’s presence,” she explained.
She also denied malicious rumours claiming that President Jokowi plans to take over the NasDem Party. She stressed that such news is merely an issue deliberately thrown out by certain parties to shape negative public opinion.
“There is no intention from Mr Jokowi to take that (NasDem). It’s just an issue launched by some interested parties to form negative public opinion against Mr Jokowi and Mas Gibran,” she asserted.
As a former NasDem cadre, she instead prayed that her former party could soon carry out good internal consolidation. “As a former NasDem Party cadre, I hope that my old party can soon consolidate internally,” she said.