3 politicians in Prabowo’s Cabinet resign from party led by Jokowi’s son

JAKARTA: Three senior politicians from the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) serving in President Prabowo Subianto's Cabinet collectively announced their resignations from the party led by Kaesang Pangarep on Monday (Nov 9).

The three are Deputy Minister of Culture Giring Ganesha Djumaryo, Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni and Deputy Minister of Population and Family Development Ratu Ayu Isyana Bagoes Oka.

Kaesang – the youngest son of former president Joko Widodo – said in a statement that he had received the resignation letters from the three politicians, noting that public service should take precedence over party interests.

"We believe that the duties of service to the nation are far above group or party interests," said Kaesang in a statement posted on the PSI website.

He added: "PSI's Central Executive Board expresses the highest appreciation for the dedication and contributions of the three during their service at PSI. We also pray that the three can focus more on carrying out state duties and provide the best service to the Indonesian people.”

In a resignation statement to the public on his Instagram account, Giring said his reason for leaving PSI was "because there are things that are no longer aligned with what I have been fighting for from the beginning".

"After careful personal consideration, last week I decided to resign from membership in the Indonesian Solidarity Party," said Giring, who was appointed deputy minister of culture in October 2024.

"Thank you to the entire PSI family for the trust and togetherness all this time," Giring said in a video, with the Indonesian flag and a photo of Prabowo visible in the background. 

In a separate statement, Raja Juli said that his resignation covered both his position as PSI secretary-general and all other party activities. It was conveyed directly to Kaesang, who serves as the party’s general chairman.

Raja Juli said that he resigned from his party position so that he could "work full time and concentrate fully on helping President Prabowo Subianto as forestry minister”.

"There are many orders from President Prabowo in forestry sector development such as rehabilitating forests, ecosystem restoration, and protecting our biodiversity, especially after forest fires," said Raja Juli, who has served as Minister of Forestry since 2024.

Similarly, Isyana said in a statement that she was resigning from PSI in order to focus on her role as deputy minister of population and family development.

The resignations come amid PSI's efforts to strengthen support ahead of the 2029 elections. Since its founding in 2014, PSI has failed to win seats in the House of Representatives in the two elections it has contested - in 2019 and 2024.

Widodo, who has long been known to be close to PSI, finally openly acknowledged himself as a member of the party in September. The former president revealed that he had officially joined PSI since October 2025.