Palace Denies President Jokowi's Issue Of Asking To Meet Megawati

President Jokowi and PDIP Chairman Megawati Soekarnoputri during the II PDIP National Working Meeting in Jakarta, Tuesday 6 June. (Tsa Tsia-VOI)

JAKARTA - Presidential Special Staff Coordinator Ari Dwipayana said it was not true that there was a request from President Joko Widodo to meet with the Fifth President of the Republic of Indonesia as well as PDI-P General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri as reported recently.

"Regarding the narrative developed as if there was a request from the President to meet (Megawati) let alone be related to the 2024 General Election, that is absolutely not true," said Ari Dwipayana in a statement to reporters in Jakarta, Monday.

Ari said that this fact had also been confirmed by the Secretary-General of the PDI-P Hasto Kristiyanto.

"I think it has also been confirmed by the Secretary General of the PDI-P Mas Hasto who also said it was not true that there was a request for a meeting," he said.

He conveyed that basically the meeting of national figures who are also for the benefit of the nation is a very good thing. Because collaboration is needed by all parties to build a great nation.

According to him, this has been done by President Widodo so far.

"That is something that has been carried out by the President. He meets national figures, meets ulama. And not only national figures, he meets regional figures, especially those he meets with community leaders. Now I think something is very good," he said.

However, once again he said that it was not true that Jokowi had asked to meet Megawati, as reported by a number of media recently.

"So I don't know anything like this. It's also strange that a narrative developed by a media seems to get information from the PDI-P internally and be perceived as a fact. But actually it never happened, there was never a request to meet, it has even been confirmed again by the Secretary General of the PDI-P," he said.

Furthermore, regarding the proposal from the Secretary General of the PDI-P, Hasto Kristiyanto, that the President be accompanied by a number of ministers who were later rumored to be resigning, if he intended to meet Megawati, Ari said that the meeting of figures was very good.

"If the President has been open to meeting with whom the national figures are. And I think Mrs. Mega is also the same, yes, it is open to meeting national figures," he explained.

"Yes (meeting accompanied by a minister) Pak Hasto's proposal, right? Yes, of course, the meeting took place between figures, right. I think I'm used to meeting national figures," he said.