Jakarta (Antara Bali) - A survey showed that Megawati Soekarnoputri is no longer favored by the public to lead the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).
"The public acknowledged Megawati's success in leading PDI Perjuangan but the majority of them no longer want her to lead the party," Haryadi, a lecturer at the state University of Airlangga in Surabaya, said quoting a survey held ahead of the party congress in April.
The party would next month hold a national congress, which is expected to confirm that Megawati would remain at the helm of the party a position already unanimously agreed earlier in a party meeting.
The daughter of the country's founding father President Soekarno, had been the chairperson of the party since it was formed after the fall of the dictatorial government of President Suharto. Haryadi said that what the public want might not be the same as what the cadres of the party want.
"This shows a disconnection of interest between the public and the cadres and the sympathizers of PDI Perjuangan. Most of the public have quasi information from the mass media," he said. Therefore, it is natural that the majority of the public have their own perception of parties based on the mass media information, he said.
Meanwhile cadres and sympathizers of PDI Perjuangan have experience and authentic knowledge about the party dynamics. The cadres and the sympathizers believe that Megawati's leadership is still needed to consolidate the party and at the same time to watch over the performance of President Joko Widodo as a cadre of the party. (WDY)
