The Meaning Of The Puan-Kaesang Meeting In Cafes, Egaliters And Relevants For Young Voters

Photo via PSI Twitter

JAKARTA - The meeting of the Chairperson of the PDI-P (PDIP) Puan Maharani with the Chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) Kaesang Pangarep has many meanings. The selection of the location for the meeting of these two political figures is considered very relevant for young voters in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

"The meeting between Puan Maharani representing PDIP and PSI Chairman Kaesang Pangarep in the Menteng area, Central Jakarta, provides several interesting aspects to analyze in the context of political communication and political semiotics," said Political Communication Analyst Silvanus Alvin, Saturday, October 7.

Puan and Kaesang held their first political meeting at a cafe in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Thursday (5/10) yesterday. Alvin highlighted the selection of the location for the meeting between Puan and Kaesang.

The choice and determination of the location of political gatherings are often ruled out even though it is an important factor to note. It can be underlined that this meeting was held with egalitarian nuances," he said.

Alvin highlighted how Puan was willing to meet Kaesang at the cafe, which is synonymous with a gaul' atmosphere or a congkow or hangout place. The meeting was judged to reflect a very symbolic action, that PDIP prioritized egalitarian communication methods or on the basis of the principles of equality, equality, harmony.

PDIP is one of the largest political parties in Indonesia, but they are pleased to meet PSI in a cafe. In short, this neutral ground is important and prioritizes egalitarians," explained Alvin.

"This can be interpreted as an effort to show prudence and the desire to have a dialogue with other parties, regardless of how much votes they have," continued the young lecturer at the Faculty of Communications, Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN).

The thing that is no less important is the nuances of meeting Puan and Kaesang which are considered as simple meetings typical of young people. Puan looks relaxed with Kaesang's appearance which is far from the formal category.

When meeting Puan, Kaesang only wore a simple shirt with a backpack decorated with a hanging doll. Puan herself wears all black clothes.

"Maybe it's normal, that young people are 'hang out' at the cafe. This meeting indicates something similar. That is, this is a strategic step from a political semiotic point of view," explained Alvin.

Cafe is a place commonly associated with a modern lifestyle of young people. No less important, establishing cafes as common ground can create a more contemporary and relevant image for PDIP and PSI who want to attract young voters," continued the England University of Leicester master graduate.

Puan even invited a number of young PDIP politicians who were administrators of the Indonesian Young Bull (BMI) and Taruna Merah Putih (TMP) when they met Kaesang. Call it Charles Honoris to Diah Pikatan Orissa Putri Haprani or Pinka.

BMI and TMP are party wings formed to support PDIP youth. The presence of young bulls accompanying Puan when meeting Kaesang was considered a PDIP effort to balance the PSI ranks who participated in the meeting where the majority of PSI cadres were young people.

"In addition to being a form of appreciation for PSI, this step is appropriate because Puan seems to bring a message that PDIP is also close to young people. Of course this is very important to attract young voters in the 2024 election," said Alvin.

As is known, for the first time in Indonesia the most voters in the election are Gen Z and Millennials in 2024. Of the 204,807,222 voters in the 2024 General Election, 66.8 million voters came from the millennial generation and 46.8 million voters were Gen Z.

By choosing relaxed settings such as cafes, according to Alvin, the meeting between Puan and Kaesang aims to eliminate the rigid impression that is often related to conventional politics. Both location selection and a relaxed and family gathering atmosphere are said to show the values of simplicity.

"That this meeting does not intend to create a luxurious or excessive impression. Here we can see that there is a match in the image that both parties want to build, namely as a political party that is closer to the people," said the author of the book Political Communication in the Digital Age: from Big Data, Influencer Relations & Celebrity Force, to Tawa Politics.

"A simple meeting can build emotional closeness with voters and avoid a luxurious impression that can damage the image of concern for people's needs," added Alvin.

Previously, Puan and Kaesang revealed the contents of their meeting. Puan said that her meeting with Kaesang felt very close. Despite talking about serious issues, the meeting still feels relaxed and full of kinship.

"I can say that this meeting with Kaesang is actually a formal meeting, which was held informally. At first we only wanted to eat fried bananas, drink coffee while hanging out between my brother and his sister," said Puan after the meeting with Kaesang.