Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo held a meeting with the leaders of political parties grouping in the pro-government coalition on Sunday but Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri became a notable absentee.

Hosted by the National Mandate Party (PAN), the meeting in Jakarta was held behind doors involving party leaders who have been divided into two new coalitions in the run-up to the 2024 elections.

The ruling party PDI-P could emerge as the third breakaway group from the current coalition as it doesn’t need support from other parties to nominate its own presidential candidate next year based on the House of Representatives seat threshold.

"I’m happy that those party leaders can meet and deepen ties at the invitation of PAN Chairman Mr. Zulkifli Hasan to all parties in the government, discussing things related to our commitment to the nation and the continuation of national development," Jokowi told reporters after the meeting.

The participants included Zulkifli, Golkar Party Chairman Airlangga Hartarto, and United Development Party (PPP) Chairman Mardiono who have established the United Indonesia Coalition on one side, and Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Chairman Prabowo Subianto and National Awakening Party (PKB) Chairman Muhaimin Iskandar who both have set up the Great Indonesia Awakening Coalition on the other side.

Asked about the possibility of merging the two new coalitions to nominate the same presidential candidate, Jokowi’s response was supportive. 

"Agree, that’s all I can say. It’s up to the party leaders and the coalitions but for the interests of the nation and the people it’s better for them to discuss this matter,” the president said.

Bonding the five parties together again could potentially isolate Megawati’s PDI-P, which has yet to announce its nominee for the presidential election despite having the luxury of doing so independently and having party executive Ganjar Pranowo as the frontrunner in major polls. 

Jokowi, also a PDI-P man, has publicly said that the sooner the party names a candidate the better.

The party also disappointed him recently with strong opposition to Israel’s participation in the U-20 World Cup, prompting FIFA to cancel the Indonesian edition of the tournament and destroying the president’s ambition to hold the country’s first-ever world-level football tournament.

Also a no-show in the high-level meeting at the PAN headquarters was National Democratic Party (Nasdem) Chairman Surya Paloh, but the party has been considered an outsider since it formally announced former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan as the presidential candidate.

Anies is widely perceived as an opposition figure to the Jokowi government.

Zulkifli said he also invited Megawati and Surya to the meeting but it coincided with their overseas trips.