PDI-P Denies Recruiting Go-Jek Founder Nadiem Makarim
Jakarta. The secretary general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, Hasto Kristiyanto, denied that Nadiem Makarim, the founder of ride-hailing company Go-Jek, has joined the political party.
Speculations that Nadiem, a Brown University and Harvard Business School graduate, has joined PDI-P became rife when the party's leader Megawati Soekarnoputri released a statement on July 10 listing the criteria for "millennial" ministerial candidates fit for Jokowi's new cabinet.
"We don't have Nadiem in our membership database," Hasto told BeritaSatu.com on Monday.
He said the party is considering younger candidates to fill in its share of ministerial positions, but they will only be considered if they share the same political vision with the party.
PDI-P is the winner of the 2019 legislative election, and is also the ruling party that backs President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
A text message has been doing the rounds on WhatsApp showing Nadiem's name as the new head of the Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) in Jokowi's second-term cabinet.
PDI-P's deputy secretary general Ahmad Basarah told Detik.com that Megawati has not made any push for party members to be included in Jokowi's next cabinet.
According to Ahmad, Megawati, a former president, would rather Jokowi take care of other matters more "fundamental" to the nation's interests.
He said the WhatsApp message, which was titled "Minutes of Meeting for Ministerial Appointments in the 2019-2014 Cabinet," was a "hoax."
"[This always] happens before a new cabinet [is formed]. So many hoaxes, so many different versions. You can't trust them," Ahmad told Detik.
Tags: Keywords: