Jacob Ereste : Instructions of the PDIP General Chairperson Regarding the Regional Heads and Deputy Head Retreat Event for All PDIP Cadres

Jacob Ereste :
*Instructions of the PDIP General Chairperson Regarding the Regional Head and Deputy Head Retreat Event for All PDIP Cadres*

Daily instructions of the PDIP General Chairperson, Megawati Soekarnoputri, dated February 20, 2025, addressed to the PDIP Regional Heads and Deputy Regional Heads throughout Indonesia to postpone their trip to attend the retreat in Magelang on February 22-28, 2025. If they are already on their way to Magelang, stop and wait for further direction from the General Chairperson.

The second instruction is to be in active communication and stand by commander call. This is the instruction of the PDIP General Chairperson which seems strong regarding the arrest of the PDIP Secretary General, Hasto Kristiyanto by the KPK on the same day, Thursday, February 20, 2025 in connection with the Harun Masiku case who is still at large to this day.

The PDIP General Chairperson’s statement regarding the continuation of the inauguration of all Regional Heads in Indonesia immediately went viral and received attention from various groups. First, in the daily order, the term of office of the Central Leadership Council of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle is stated as the term of office of 2019-2024. It seems that this strange period is written, maybe just a technical problem. However, what is interesting is the effort not to attend the retreat event as a series of events for the inauguration of the newly elected Regional Head seems like a protest if it cannot be called a form of political resistance from the PDIP who feels they are being oppressed or criminalized by the government through the KPK.

The problem will of course be even more serious if all PDIP cadres who are elected as Regional Heads or Deputy Regional Heads do not attend the retreat event that has become part of the inauguration event. Likewise, if there are Regional Heads or Deputy Regional Heads from PDIP cadres who still attend the retreat event, it will become an internal problem for PDIP in the future. What is certain is that the dilemma for Regional Heads and Deputy Regional Heads who want to attend the retreat will be haunted by sanctions from the government if they do not attend the retreat event, and vice versa if they attend the retreat event in Magelang they can be considered as rebels by party administrators.

Until this review was published, information from Magelang had not been obtained, except that a group of Regional Heads and Deputy Regional Heads who had arrived in Magelang had gathered in a place to discuss further about the instructions and the retreat event that would soon take place.

In essence, the continuation of the daily order of the PDIP General Chairperson has not been obtained, the continuation of which is to postpone the retreat event. Likewise, from various sources in Magelang there is no certainty whether all PDIP cadres who will attend the retreat have entered the retreat area provided for all Regional Heads and Deputy Regional Heads to attend the event.

Banten, February 23, 2025

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