Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – Amid speculation that Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri could still run for president in 2014, political analysts warned her to control her ego following the death of her husband and PDI-P patron, Taufiq Kiemas.
Arie Sujito, a political analyst from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, said that Megawati should heed her husband's call to bring in new faces to represent the party.
"Taufiq served as a counterbalance to Megawati's dominance within the party. Following his death, Megawati should adopt her late husband's views in managing the party, in order to maintain the balance," Arie said on Tuesday. Taufiq, who died in a Singapore hospital from heart problems on Saturday, was best known for his political statements and views, which often differed from his wife's.
Taufiq, who also served as People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker, repeatedly called for a regeneration of national leadership. He was also applauded for his ability in maintaining the PDI-P's communication with other parties.
Only three days after Taufiq's death, unconfirmed reports said that Megawati is mulling running for president in 2014, with popular Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo by her side as vice presidential candidate.
Arie warned that the plan, if executed, could significantly damage the PDI-P. "Considering her defeat in the past two elections, it would be hard for her to achieve victory this time around. Ideally, she should opt for a regeneration in the party leadership, as advocated by Taufiq," he said.
Earlier this year, Taufiq issued many statements implying that his wife should not run a third time, citing her age as a reason. Megawati will be 67 next year.
Charta Politika political analyst Yunarto Wijaya said that a Megawati-Jokowi ticket could bring a premature end to the promising political career of the popular Jakarta Governor.
"If he accepted the nomination for vice president, it would confirm the assumption that Jokowi submitted to Megawati only to get a higher position. This assumption would be proved wrong if he ran as a presidential candidate," he said on Tuesday.
However, Indonesian Institute of Science's (LIPI) political expert Indria Samego said that all hope was not lost for Megawati. Indria said that Megawati still had a chance of becoming the country's next president due to her popularity.
"Indonesian voters are conservative. They only choose the ones that they really know well," he said.
Senior PDI-P politician Eva Kusuma Sundari shrugged off the Megawati-Jokowi speculation, saying that it was too soon to talk about presidential politics. She said that the PDI-P would only name its presidential candidate after the 2014 legislative election.
"We never discuss that issue because it could create friction within the party. We are focusing more on winning the legislative election. After the election, our presidential candidate will be decided in a party congress. Megawati will name candidates, or PDI-P politicians can nominate themselves," she said.
Eva, however, acknowledged the need for the emergence of a new figure that could play Taufiq's role in the party. "Pak Taufiq had the ability to bridge different interests and political views. I believe that the PDI-P has many members who have similar potential," she said. (tam)