Surya Paloh on Prospect of Backing Prabowo for Two Terms: We Are Considering It

NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh has responded to the discourse surrounding two-term support for President Prabowo Subianto, stating that NasDem is currently deliberating the matter.

“We are thinking about that — after all, we are part of the coalition,” said Surya Paloh at NasDem Tower in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Saturday (21/2/2026).

Regarding the proposal for a permanent coalition, Paloh said there was no objection to the idea being considered. He went on to emphasise the importance of national progress.

“A permanent coalition is perfectly fine to consider. There is no problem with that, though we have not yet reached a decision. Considering it is a good thing. Once again, what is our greatest goal? The answer is simple: progress as a nation and a state. For whom? For all of us,” Paloh said.

“When we speak of all of us, then the divisions that arise from differences in ethnicity, religion, social background and so forth should be made secondary. If we cannot eliminate them entirely, the ideal would be to stop thinking along those lines altogether. That is the kind of reasoning we need,” he added.

Jokowi Backs Prabowo-Gibran for Two Terms

Previously, former president Joko Widodo revealed that he had instructed volunteers from the Bara JP network to support Prabowo-Gibran for two terms. Jokowi said this directive had been conveyed long ago.

“From the very beginning, I told all volunteers to do so — to support Prabowo-Gibran for two terms,” Jokowi said when asked about the Bara JP volunteers’ statement that they had received instructions to back a two-term Prabowo-Gibran administration, as reported on Friday (19/9/2025).

Jokowi reiterated that he had ordered volunteers to support the Prabowo-Gibran government for two full terms.

“Indeed, I instructed them to support President Prabowo-Gibran’s administration for two terms,” he said.

When asked whether Prabowo-Gibran would contest the 2029 presidential election, Jokowi declined to answer directly, saying only that he had conveyed the message to his volunteers.

“I communicated that to the volunteers, because some of them had asked,” he concluded.