Megawati: Criticism of Power Must Be Based on Data, Not Emotions

JAKARTA - PDI Perjuangan General Chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri stated that the attitude of criticality and supervision of power must always be based on data and facts, not anger or personal attacks.

"Our criticism must be based on data, people's real experience, and ideological values, not emotional provocation. That's how the party maintains its political dignity," Megawati said at the closing of the 2026 PDI Perjuangan National Working Meeting (Rakernas) in Jakarta, Monday, January 13.

He added that the party's line of struggle is the struggle of ideas, moral strength, and the policy's bias on the People of the Masses. As a balancing party, the PDI Perjuangan is obliged to ensure that state policies do not deviate from the interests of the little people and social justice.

"Facing power, the party's struggle is not carried out with anger, not with personal attacks, and not with empty confrontations. Such ways actually distance us from the character of nationhood," he said.

Megawati also underlined that in a democratic system, the government is not a personal enemy, but an object of legitimate policy criticism.

He also encouraged that the national political discourse be shifted; not only stuck on stability and economic growth, but also must talk about social justice, food and energy sovereignty, ecological justice, and the quality of democracy.

The PDI Perjuangan, he continued, must be a place for the people to seek justice, especially when the state appears to be strong institutionally but weak in providing a sense of justice. Therefore, the party's struggle must be carried out comprehensively, ranging from the legislative function in parliament to grassroots politics that are emancipatory.

"The political strength of the PDI Perjuangan must not depend on closeness to power, but on the trust, participation, and political awareness of the people," said Megawati.