President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo confirmed on Thursday that his youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, has officially become a member of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI).
Jokowi is a career politician with the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which helped him win two presidential elections. His eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, followed in his footsteps and secured victory in the mayoral election in the family’s hometown of Solo.
However, during a visit to the construction site of the future national capital, Nusantara, in East Kalimantan, Jokowi acknowledged that he couldn’t dissuade his other son from joining a rival political party.
“Naturally, he sought the family’s blessing [to join PSI]. Even if I had objected, he would have remained resolute. You know, that’s my son’s character,” Jokowi said in response to reporters’ inquiries.
He added that Kaesang, who now has his own family, possesses the autonomy to make his own decisions.
News of Kaesang’s affiliation with PSI emerged after the party posted a video on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). The video featured a male voice, presumably Kaesang’s, saying, “My name is Mawar [Rose], though it’s not my actual name. I have reaffirmed my commitment to engage in politics.”
The audio continued, “While I may lack political experience, I hold ambitious dreams for a better Indonesia and aspire to tread the right path.” The video concluded with a silhouette of Kaesang’s face.
