Megawati Says She Has No Feud with President Prabowo Despite Opposition Role

TheIndonesia.co - Indonesia’s fifth president and chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati Soekarnoputri, has stressed that she does not have a hostile relationship with President Prabowo Subianto, despite her party currently remaining outside the government.

Megawati made the remarks while inaugurating the renovation of Istana Gebang and a statue of Sukarno in Blitar on Monday (15 June).

According to Megawati, personal friendship should not be conflated with political differences.

She referred to her recent public appearance alongside Prabowo during the commemoration of Pancasila Day on 1 June, saying the moment reflected their longstanding personal relationship.

“Mr Prabowo and I are friends. Friendship should remain friendship. Politics serves democracy, but I am not his enemy — he is my friend. You saw it on 1 June, didn’t you? We walked together and laughed together,” Megawati said.

She also suggested that some individuals had attempted to portray the relationship as confrontational.

“Some people want to create the impression that I want to oppose Mr Prabowo. I can answer that myself. It should not be like that. We must be courageous because our country has a legal system,” she added.

Raises Concerns Over Rising Chilli Prices

While underlining her cordial relationship with the President, Megawati said she would continue speaking about issues affecting the public, including rising living costs.

During her speech, she asked attendees whether household prices had increased and specifically highlighted soaring chilli prices in several regions.

“What is the price of chilli now? Rp100,000? Rp60,000? In eastern regions, I received reports that chilli has reached Rp180,000. Then perhaps stop eating chilli — or start a movement to grow chillies at home,” she said.

Criticism Should Go Through Parliament, Says Megawati
Megawati also emphasised that criticism of government policies should be channelled through constitutional mechanisms.

As PDI-P remains outside the ruling coalition, she said the party would continue conveying public concerns through its parliamentary faction in the People's Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI).

“I know prices are rising. But I also understand the proper procedures. I am not part of the government, so if I want to raise concerns, I will do so through the PDI-P faction in parliament. That is procedure, ethics and morality,” she said.