Gerindra Party

Not to be confused with Parindra.

The Great Indonesia Movement Party (Indonesian: Partai Gerakan Indonesia Raya), better known as the Gerindra Party, is a nationalist, right-wing populist political party in Indonesia. Since 2014, it has been the third-largest party in the House of Representatives (DPR), having won 86 seats in the latest election. It currently controls the presidency. Gerindra is led by the former army general and the current president, Prabowo Subianto.

Great Indonesia Movement Party Partai Gerakan Indonesia Raya
Abbreviation	Gerindra
General Chairman	Prabowo Subianto
Secretary-General	Ahmad Muzani
DPR group leader	Budi Djiwandono
Founded	6 February 2008; 16 years ago (6 February 2008)
Split from	Golkar
Headquarters	Jakarta
Youth wing	TIDAR (Great Indonesia Bud)
Women's wing	PIRA (Great Indonesia Women)
Muslim wing	GEMIRA (Great Indonesia Muslim Movement)
Christian wing	GEKIRA (Great Indonesia Christian Movement)
Hindu-Buddhist wing	GEMA SADHANA (Sanatana Dharma Nusantara Society Movement)
Labour wing	SEGARA (Great Indonesia Labor Movement Center)
Membership (2022)	498,963[1]
Ideology	Pancasila Indonesian nationalism Social conservatism Right-wing populism[2][3][4]
Political position	Right-wing[5][6]
National affiliation	Advanced Indonesia Coalition
Ballot number	2
DPR seats	86 / 580
DPRD I seats	323 / 2,372
DPRD II seats	2,120 / 17,510
Website
gerindra.id
Politics of Indonesia Political parties Elections

Founded in 2008, Gerindra serves as the political vehicle for Prabowo. The party first participated in the 2009 legislative election and secured 26 seats in the DPR. In the presidential election, Prabowo ran as the vice-presidential candidate for Megawati Soekarnoputri of PDI-P, but they were defeated by the incumbent president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). Gerindra then became the opposition to the SBY administration. In 2014, Gerindra placed third in the legislative election, and Prabowo ran with Hatta Rajasa against Joko Widodo (Jokowi) in the presidential election, but they lost. Gerindra once again became the opposition to the government. In the 2019 legislative election, Gerindra won the second-highest majority of votes. Prabowo ran with Sandiaga Uno against Jokowi and lost again. After Prabowo reconciled with Jokowi in July 2019, Gerindra joined the government coalition and he was later appointed the Minister of Defense. In 2024, Prabowo ran with Gibran Rakabuming Raka and won the presidential election in the first round.

History

After coming last in Golkar's presidential convention on 21 April 2004, Prabowo served as a member of Golkar's Advisory Board until his resignation on 12 July 2008. Gerindra was formed on 6 February 2008 at the suggestion of Prabowo's younger brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who helped pay for party's prime-time TV advertising campaign.^[7] Prabowo was appointed chairman of the party's Founding Board.

Gerindra's provincial level election teams were formed in February 2009. The party then claimed a membership of approximately 15 million, with its support base coming from across Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi.^[8]

The party won 4.5% of the vote in the 2009 legislative election, and was awarded 26 seats in the People's Representative Council.^[9]

The Reform Star Party (PBR) was merged into Gerindra in February 2011.^[10]

In the national legislative election on 9 April 2014, the party's vote share jumped to 11.8%, making it the third-most popular party in Indonesia.^[11] Gerindra almost trebled the number of seats it won from 26 seats in 2009 to 73 seats in 2014.

Following the death of Gerindra chairman Suhardi on 28 August 2014, Prabowo was appointed general chairman on 20 September 2014.^[12]

Political identities

Ideology

The 2008 Law on Political Parties states that political parties are allowed to include specific characteristics that reflect their political aspirations, as long as they do not contradict Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.^[13] As per Articles 5 and 7 of its constitution and bylaws (AD/ART), Gerindra is founded on Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, while its identity is rooted in nationalism, populism, religion, and social justice.^[14] In February 2019, the party's central board member Andre Rosiade described Gerindra as a "nationalist-religious" party.^[15] Outsider views on the party's political orientation vary. Academics and domestic observers classified Gerindra as a nationalist party,^[16] while their international counterparts described it as a secular party with hard nationalist stance,^[17] ultranationalist,^[18] or "militant nationalist" party.^[19] Tom Power disagrees with labeling Gerindra as a secular party and categorizes it as a "inclusivist-nationalist" party, due to its perceived willingness to compromise on Islamic political agendas.^[20] Its political leaning has been described as right-wing^[6][21] or right-wing populist.^{[2][22][3][4]}

Political positions

In its political manifesto, Gerindra has taken positions on several issues. On politics, Gerindra seeks to overhaul Indonesia's political system, rejecting liberal democracy as counterproductive. It advocates a culturally aligned democracy, emphasizing robust national leadership based on Pancasila and the constitution.^[23] In the economic field, Gerindra advocates economic populism, criticizing post-Suharto Indonesia's liberal economy. It seeks increased state involvement, rejects rising foreign debt, opposes the privatization of state-owned enterprises (BUMN), calls for the reevaluation of laws favoring foreign entities (such as the Oil and Gas Law and the Investment Law), and favors reintroducing Broad Outlines of State Policy (GBHN). Gerindra rejects a free-market system and supports protectionist measures.^[24] Gerindra follows a populist and nationalist economic platform, targeting the lower middle class such as farmers and fishers, though its supporters in the 2014 general election were disproportionately urban dwellers.^[25]

In foreign policy, Prabowo has expressed a desire for closer diplomatic ties with China and India, while calling for distance from the West.^[26] He has proposed a peace plan to end the Russo-Ukrainian War, involving holding referendums in disputed areas between the two countries, which was subsequently condemned by Ukraine.^[27] In January 2022, Prabowo expressed openness to the normalization of Indonesia–Israel relations.^[28]

The Gerindra parliamentary group in the DPR have expressed their opinions on a few issues:

Year	Bills	Votes	Party stances/Other views
2019	Revision of Law on the Corruption Eradication Commission RUU KPK		Gerindra initially opposed the direct appointment of the KPK Supervisory Board members by the president, but later endorsed it after losing the vote during the bill's ratification.[29]
2022	Law on Sexual Violence Crimes RUU TPKS		Gerindra proposed removing the word "violence" from the bill's title to emphasize prevention over punishment.[30]
2022	Law on State Capital RUU IKN
2022	Revision of the Indonesian Criminal Code RUU KUHP		Gerindra backs the clause against kumpul kebo (cohabitation), considering it against religious beliefs and public norms in Indonesia. They see it as a threat to marital values and a cause of social issues, advocating for stricter penalties from 6 months to 1 year in prison.[31]
2023	Omnibus Law on Job Creation RUU Cipta Kerja
2024	Special Region of Jakarta Act RUU DKJ		Gerindra supports the clause proposing that Jakarta's governor and deputy governor be appointed by the president after consulting the Badan Musyawarah Suku Betawi 1982 (Betawi Tribe Deliberation Body), viewing it as public participation in lawmaking.[32] Gerindra eventually endorsed the bill.[33]

Leadership structure

The following leadership structure of the party are as follows (2020-2025)^[34]

Leader of the Advisory Council: General (Hon.) H. Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo

Deputy Leader of the Advisory Council

• Hashim Djojohadikusumo
• Ahmad Muzani
• Sufmi Dasco Ahmad
• Fadli Zon
• Thomas Aquinas Djiwandono
• Angky Retno Yudianto
• Dedi Mulyadi
• Mochamad Iriawan
• Titiek Soeharto

Secretary of the Advisory Council: Sugiono

Vice Secretary of the Advisory Council: Prasetyo Hadi

General Chairman: General (Hon.) H. Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo

Vice Chairman

• Deputy General Chairperson for Organization, Cadre Generation, Membership and Election Victory: Sufmi Dasco Ahmad
• Deputy General Chair for Foreign Affairs: Fadli Zon
• Deputy General Chair for Ideology, Politics, Government, Party Discipline and Strategic Information: Sugiono
• Deputy General Chairperson for Economic and Environmental Affairs: Budi Djiwandono
• Deputy Chairman of the General Chair for Defense and Security: Major General TNI (Ret.) Musa Bangun
• Deputy Chairperson General Chairperson for Network Potential Empowerment, Cooperatives and MSMEs: Ferry Joko Yuliantono
• Deputy Chairperson for Health and Employment Affairs: Drg. Putih Sari
• Deputy Chairperson of the General Chair for Youth, Women and Children: Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo
• Deputy Chairperson for Legal and Advocacy: Habiburokhman
• Deputy Chairperson for Community Service and People's Welfare: Sumaryati Amin Aryoso
• Deputy Chairperson for Education and Infrastructure: Susi Marleny Bachsin
• Deputy Chairman of the General Chair for Religious Affairs: Mochamad Irfan Yusuf

Secretary General: Ahmad Muzani

Treasurer: Thomas Aquinas Djiwandono

Wing organizations

Gerindra's wing organizations include:

• TIDAR (Tunas Indonesia Raya, Great Indonesia Bud)
• PIRA (Perempuan Indonesia Raya, Great Indonesia Woman)
• GEMIRA (Gerakan Muslim Indonesia Raya, Great Indonesia Muslim Movement)
• GEKIRA (Gerakan Kristiani Indonesia Raya, Great Indonesia Christian Movement); formerly named KIRA (Kristen Indonesia Raya, Great Indonesia Christians).
• GEMA SADHANA (Gerakan Masyarakat Sanathana Dharma Nusantara, Sanathana Dharma Nusantara Society Movement); for Hindus and Buddhists.
• PETIR (Persatuan Tionghoa Indonesia Raya, Great Indonesia Chinese Association)
• SATRIA (Satuan Relawan Indonesia Raya, Great Indonesia Volunteer Unit)
• SEGARA (Sentral Gerakan Buruh Indonesia Raya, Great Indonesia Labor Movement Center; for labour movements)
• KESIRA (Kesehatan Indonesia Raya, Great Indonesia Health; for health workers)
• BGM (Barisan Garuda Muda, Young Garuda Front)
• GMI (Garuda Muda Indonesia, Indonesia Young Garudas)
• Jari Raya (Jaringan Rakyat Indonesia Raya, Great Indonesia People's Network)

Election results

Legislative election results

Election	Ballot number	Total seats won	Total votes	Share of votes	Seat change	Outcome of election	Party leader
2009	5	26 / 560	4,642,795	4.46%[35]	26 seats	Opposition	Prabowo Subianto (Founding board chair) Suhardi (General chair)
2014	6	73 / 560	14,760,371	11.81%[36]	47 seats	Opposition	Prabowo Subianto (Founding board chair) Suhardi (General chair)
2019	2	78 / 575	17,594,839	12.57%[37]	5 seats	Opposition (2019)	Prabowo Subianto
						Governing coalition (2019–2024)
2024	2	86 / 580	20,071,345	13.22%	8 seats	Governing coalition	Prabowo Subianto

Presidential election results

Election	Ballot number	Pres. candidate	Running mate	1st round (Total votes)	Share of votes	Outcome	2nd round (Total votes)	Share of votes	Outcome
2009	1	Megawati Sukarnoputri	Prabowo Subianto	32,548,105	26.79%	Lost
2014	1	Prabowo Subianto[38]	Hatta Rajasa	62,576,444	46.85%	Lost
2019	2	Prabowo Subianto	Sandiaga Uno	68,650,239	44.50%	Lost
2024	2	Prabowo Subianto	Gibran Rakabuming Raka	96,214,691	58.59%	Elected

Note: Bold text indicates the party member

References

1. "Info Pemilu - Partai Gerakan Indonesia Raya". Komisi Pemilihan Umum RI. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
2. Santoso 2009: "Today, another highly spirited right-wing populist political party has emerged. Its name, Gerindra, Gerakan Indonesia Raya, the Greater Indonesia Movement, signifies its fervour for revitalising the greatness of the nation."
3. van Klinken 2009, p. 157: "...although thus far without producing programmatic platforms beyond the vague right wing populism of the PDI-P (of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri) or of Gerindra (of retired Lieutenant-General Prabowo Subianto)."
4. Yilmaz & Shukri 2023, p. 143: "Subianto, a former general of the army and former son-in-law of Suharto, left his Golkar Party to form the Gerindra, a right-wing populist party."
5. Bourchier 2015, p. 254.
6. Kwok 2017: "...while Anies is backed by the right-wing Gerindra Party of Prabowo Subianto..."
7. "Prabowo nominated as presidential candidate by Gerindra Party". Jakarta Post. 14 July 2008. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
8. Demopoulos, Katherine (31 March 2009). "Indonesia's dark-horse candidate". Asia Times Online. Archived from the original on 1 April 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
9. "KPU Ubah Perolehan Kursi Parpol di DPR (KPU Changes Allocations of Parties' seats in the DPR)". Indonesian General Election Commission (in Indonesian). 14 May 2009. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
10. "PBR Gabung ke Gerindra" [PBR merged into Gerindra]. Detik (in Indonesian). 18 February 2011. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
11. "KPU Successfully Set and Authorize Pileg Results On Time". indonesiaelectionportal.org. 10 May 2014. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
12. Rafie, Barratut Taqiyyah, ed. (21 September 2014). "Prabowo replaces Suhardi as Gerindra chairman". Kontan.co.id. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
13. Saifulloh 2016, pp. 178: "Akan tetapi, dalam Undang-Undang No.2 Tahun 2008 Tentang Partai Politik kembali dipertegas bahwa asas dan ciri partai politik merupakan penjabaran dari Pancasila dan UUD 1945." Translation: In Law No. 2 of 2008 on Political Parties, it is emphasized that the principles and characteristics of political parties derive from Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.
14. Gerindra 2020, p. 13
15. Kuswandi 2019: "Kalau Gerindra ini partai nasionalis-religius..." Translation: Gerindra is a nationalist-religious party...
16. Lee & Paath 2019: "So-called nationalist parties such as the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Prabowo Subianto's political machine the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra)..."
17. Bulkin 2013: "It is a secular party whose chief ideology appears to be fierce nationalism and defense of the unitary state."
18. Heiduk 2014: "Prabowo's coalition consisted of his own ultra-nationalist Gerindra..."
19. Bourchier 2015, p. 259: "Gerindra (Partai Gerakan Indonesia Raya), Greater Indonesia Movement Party; a militant nationalist party formed in 2008."
20. Power 2014: Gerindra is listed as "Inclusivist-Nationalist (Centrist)" in the table.
    "Coupled with Prabowo's willingness to adopt a more 'Islamic' tone in his campaign, it seems there is sufficient evidence to doubt Gerindra's commitment to a 'secular' agenda. For these reasons, Gerindra cannot be included in the 'secular-nationalist' camp."
21. Meakem 2024: "Prabowo, who previously lost the presidency to Jokowi, belongs to the right-wing Gerindra Party and was a military officer under Suharto."
22. Soeriaatmadja 2023: "This is because Mr Prabowo, 71, chairman of right-wing populist Gerindra Party..."
23. Gerindra 2022, pp. 11–14
24. Gerindra 2022, pp. 14–20
25. Saiful Mujani; R. William Liddle; Kuskridho Ambardi (26 February 2018). Voting Behaviour in Indonesia since Democratization: Critical Democrats. Cambridge University Press. pp. 107–. ISBN 978-1-108-42179-9. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
26. "Indonesia's Prabowo slams West for double standards, lack of moral leadership: 'we don't really need Europe'". SCMP. 14 November 2023. Defence minister Prabowo calls for a 'rebalancing' whereby Indonesia should learn from countries including China and India rather than continue looking to the West
27. "Controversy surrounds Defense Minister Prabowo's peace plan for the Russia-Ukraine conflict | INSIDER". 13 June 2023.
28. "Prabowo Called for Normalization of RI-Israel Relations". CNN Indonesia. 14 January 2022.
29. "Sikap Gerindra Soal Perpu KPK, Setuju atau Tidak" [Gerindra's stance on the KPK Perppu: approval or rejection?]. Narasi (in Indonesian). 10 October 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
30. Budilaksono, Imam (8 December 2021). Kliwantoro, D. (ed.). "F-Gerindra usulkan judul RUU TPKS hilangkan kata "kekerasan"" [F-Gerindra proposed removing the word "violence" from the bill's title]. Antara (in Indonesian). Retrieved 12 August 2024.
31. Utami Putri, Budiarti (19 November 2019). Hantoro, Juli (ed.). "RKUHP Rampung Dibahas, PDIP dan Gerindra Beda Soal Kumpul Kebo" [RKUHP discussions concluded, PDIP and Gerindra clash over cohabitation issues]. Tempo (in Indonesian). Retrieved 13 August 2024.
32. Ramadhan, Ardito (9 December 2024). Ihsanuddin (ed.). "Alasan Gerindra Dukung Gubernur Jakarta Dipilih Presiden dalam RUU DKJ" [Gerindra favors president appointing Jakarta's governor in DKJ bill draft]. Tempo (in Indonesian). Retrieved 18 August 2024.
33. Karunia, Putri (1 May 2024). Arjanto, Dwi (ed.). "4 Lika-liku Perjalanan RUU DKJ Hingga Resmi Disahkan Presiden Jokowi" [4 hurdles in the DKJ bill before president Jokowi's approval]. Tempo (in Indonesian). Retrieved 17 August 2024.
34. "Ini Struktur Kepengurusan DPP Gerindra 2020-2025". merdeka.com (in Indonesian). 19 September 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
35. "Bab V - Hasil Pemilu - KPU" (PDF) (in Indonesian). Komisi Pemilihan Umum Republik Indonesia. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
36. "KPU sahkan hasil pemilu, PDIP nomor satu" (in Indonesian). BBC. 10 May 2014. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
37. Zunita Putri (21 May 2019). "KPU Tetapkan Hasil Pileg 2019: PDIP Juara, Disusul Gerindra-Golkar". Detik.com (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
38. Wardah, Fathiyah (19 May 2014). "6 Parpol Dukung Pasangan Prabowo-Hatta dalam Pilpres". Voice of America Indonesia (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2018.

Sources

• Bourchier, David (2015). Illiberal Democracy in Indonesia. Politics in Asia. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780203379721. ISBN 978-1-138-23672-1.
• Bulkin, Nadia (24 October 2013). "Indonesia's Political Parties". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
• Heiduk, Felix (9 September 2014). "Reformasi Reloaded? Implications of Indonesia's 2014 Elections". Center for Security Studies. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
• Kuswandi (13 February 2019). "Andre Rosiade Sebut Gerindra Partai Nasional Religius" [Andre Rosiade describes Gerindra as a nationalist-religious party]. Jawa Pos (in Indonesian). Retrieved 13 January 2024.
• Kwok, Yenni (11 February 2017). "Voters Are Going to the Polls in an Election Seen as a Barometer of Indonesian Secularism". Time. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
• Lee, Christian; Paath, Carlos K. Y. (31 May 2019). "How Different Are Political Parties in Indonesia From One Another?". Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
• Meakem, Allison (2 January 2024). "A New Dynasty Rises in Jokowi's Indonesia". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
• Power, Tom (22 May 2014). "Is there an ideological cleavage in 2014?". New Mandala. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
• Saifulloh, Putra Perdana Ahmad (December 2016). "Kewajiban Partai Politik Berideologi Pancasila Ditinjau dari Prinsip-Prinsip Negara Hukum Indonesia" [The obligation of political parties to embrace the ideology of Pancasila: examined from the principles of the rule of law in Indonesia]. Pandecta Research Law Journal (in Indonesian). 11 (2). doi:10.15294/pandecta.v11i2.9276 (inactive 2 November 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
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• Soeriaatmadja, Wahyudi (28 November 2023). "Jokowi leaning towards endorsing populist party chairman for Indonesia president: Analysts". The Straits Times. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
• Yilmaz, Ihsan; Shukri, Syaza (2023). "Islam and populism in the Asia Pacific". In Subedi, D. B.; Brasted, Howard; von Strokirch, Karin; Scott, Alan (eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Populism in Asia Pacific. Indo-Pacific in Context. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003160014-13. ISBN 978-1-003-16001-4.
• Tomsa, Dirk (5 July 2009). "The eagle has crash-landed". Inside Indonesia. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
• van Klinken, Gerry (2009). "Patronage Democracy in Provincial Indonesia". In Törnquist, Olle; Webster, Neil; Stokke, Kristian (eds.). Rethinking Popular Representation. Governance, Security and Development (GSD). Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 141–159. doi:10.1057/9780230102095_8. ISBN 978-0-230-10209-5.

External links

• Official website (in Indonesian)
• Gerindra (2020). "Anggaran Dasar & Anggaran Rumah Tangga (AD/ART)" [Articles of Association]. Great Indonesia Movement Party (in Indonesian).
• Gerindra (2022). "Manifesto Perjuangan Partai Gerindra" [Gerindra Party's Political Manifesto]. Great Indonesia Movement Party (in Indonesian).