Indonesia may lose parliamentary opposition as all parties signal support for new government

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (left) with Prabowo Subianto. REUTERS-Yonhap

SEOUL, October 18 (AJP) - Indonesia's political landscape faced a potential shift as the last remaining opposition party in parliament indicated its willingness to support the incoming government on Friday. Puan Maharani, speaker of the House of Representatives and member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said, "We firmly support the next government to build Indonesia's future."

The PDI-P, led by former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, was the only party not yet aligned with President-elect Prabowo Subianto's coalition. Local media speculate that Prabowo and Megawati may reach an agreement before Prabowo's inauguration on Oct. 20, potentially leading to PDI-P joining the ruling coalition.

If PDI-P joins the government, it would mark the first time since the introduction of direct presidential elections in 2004 that Indonesia's parliament would have no opposition party. The lower house, which holds legislative, budgetary, and executive oversight powers, currently consists of eight parties, with seven already supporting Prabowo.

The prospect of a parliament without opposition has raised concerns among local media about the lack of meaningful checks on presidential power. Critics worry that the absence of an opposition could lead to unchallenged passage of presidential initiatives, potentially weakening democratic safeguards in Southeast Asia's largest democracy.

AJP