President Joko 'Jokowi'' Widodo (second left), then vice president Jusuf Kalla (left), Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri (centre), then vice president-elect Ma’ruf Amin (second right) and Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto attending the opening ceremony of the fifth PDI-P congress in Sanur, Bali, on Aug 8, 2019. - JP
JAKARTA: Two former presidents, Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), have confirmed that they will not join the Independence Day celebration at Indonesia's future capital in Nusantara, East Kalimantan, scheduled for this weekend.
Senior politician of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Djarot Syaiful Hidayat, said that Megawati was scheduled to lead an event at the party's headquarters in South Jakarta on Independence Day.
"The schedule for Bu Mega on Aug 17 is that she will lead a ceremony at the PDI-P's members’ school," Djarot said, as quoted by Kumparan.com.
Earlier on Monday (Aug 12), the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, said that his father would have to skip the Independence Day ceremony at Nusantara as the former president is expected to lead an event at his hometown in Pacitan, East Java.
"There is an event that has been planned very early for him in Pacitan," Agus told reporters on the sidelines of the inaugural cabinet meeting in Nusantara on Monday.
Earlier, State Secretary Pratikno said that the Presidential Palace had sent invitations to Megawati and SBY to attend the Independence Day ceremony at the planned new capital.
Pratikno said that there was also a scenario to allow former presidents to join the Independence Day celebration at the State Palace in Central Jakarta. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
