Jakarta. After a surprise move to part ways with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Maruarar Sirait announced on Friday that he endorses Prabowo Subianto for the February 14 presidential election.

Maruarar, the son of the late PDI-P loyalist Sabam Sirait, made the announcement when he accompanied Prabowo during a meeting with the Indonesian Churches Association (PGI) in Jakarta.

“I have consulted with my family and prayed for the blessing from God to support Mr. Prabowo and Brother Gibran,” Maruarar said.

Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, is Prabowo’s running mate.

“Mr. Prabowo told me that if he gets the opportunity to lead, he will follow in the footsteps of Mr. Jokowi in promoting unity and cooperating with all political powers,” Maruarar said.

Earlier this week, he declared his departure from the PDI-P and his allegiance to President Jokowi.

"I have made my political choice to align with Mr. Jokowi for the next journey," Maruarar said on Monday. “[Jokowi] has made significant contributions to the country, employing a no-nonsense approach to combat radicalism, aiding the impoverished, nationalizing Freeport, and spearheading the relocation of the national capital to promote wealth distribution.”

His departure further underscores the growing discord between Jokowi and the ruling party, which nominates former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo for president.

With his son joining the Prabowo’s camp, it’s obvious that Jokowi and the PDI-P no longer walk the same path.
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Maruarar, who has served as a House of Representatives member for 15 years, is not the only prominent PDI-P figure to leave the party ahead of the election. In August, former Representative Budiman Sudjatmiko was dismissed by PDI-P after openly expressing support for Prabowo’s presidential bid.