Meanwhile, PDI-P had backed Ganjar Pranowo as their presidential candidate along with former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD.
The Jakarta Post reported that Jokowi’s dismissal letter highlighted that the former president had “abused his power to intervene at the Constitutional Court”, considered to be a “serious violation of the PDI-P’s code of ethics”.
This incident referred to the court’s controversial ruling which revised the age limits for candidacy for public office, effectively paving the way for Gibran to compete in the presidential race in February as Prabowo’s running mate.
Jokowi’s brother-in-law Anwar Usman was also demoted from the role of chief justice after the court’s ethics committee found him guilty of misusing his position to influence the court’s decision.
Prior to the souring relationship, Jokowi is known to have relied on the PDI-P as his political vehicle when he became the mayor of Surakarta, governor of Jakarta and a two-term president with the support of party chairwoman Megawati.
“I’ve said this before, I’m a one-man party,” Jokowi told the media, when asked if he had returned the PDI-P’s membership card and his next political move, adding that he has no plans to form his own party yet.
Meanwhile, Gibran has also acknowledged his expulsion from PDI-P.
“This is my personal decision made so I can focus on helping President Prabowo,” Gibran told the media on Tuesday in East Jakarta, adding that he appreciated and respected PDI-P’s decision.
While no longer affiliated with PDI-P, Jokowi and Gibran told the media that they are not rushing to join another political party.
“Just wait and see,” both Jokowi and Gibran had said separately, as quoted by local media.
While Gibran and Bobby have signalled alignments with Prabowo’s Gerindra Party, the 63-year-old former president is still contemplating his next move amid past reports that Gerindra as well as another key political party Golkar had expressed interest in welcoming him to their fold.
Bobby, for one, announced that he had joined Gerindra in May and won the North Sumatra gubernatorial election last month on its ticket.
“Gerindra is open (to welcoming Jokowi) but we of course cannot force him to join,” Prabowo, who is also the chairman of Gerindra, told the media when Jokowi visited his residence in south Jakarta for a private meeting on Dec 6.
The party’s secretary-general Ahmad Muzani had said that it will be a “big honour” for Jokowi to join the party.
“We are open to everyone, what more someone who is of high calibre like Jokowi, who was a former president and has made contributions that everyone recognises,” he was quoted as saying by Kompas on Dec 5, highlighting the party’s congress scheduled to be held in February next year.
“Of course we will accept him with open arms,” Golkar party’s secretary-general Muhammad Sarmuji meanwhile said on Dec 5, as reported by Tempo.
