April 19, 2026 | 12:12 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Chair of the NasDem Party, Surya Paloh, dispels rumors about the merger of NasDem with the Gerindra Party, as reported by Tempo Magazine on April 12, 2026. Surya made this statement in response to the media after the editors' gathering at the Nasdem Tower in Jakarta on Thursday, April 16.
According to Surya, it is not true that NasDem will be merged with Gerindra, led by President Prabowo Subianto. "Surely not, perhaps it's too early to conclude, I think it's reasonable," Surya said, as quoted from the NasDem Faction's website on Sunday, April 19, 2026.
Surya then revealed the details of his meeting with Prabowo at the residence of the Chairman of the Gerindra Party in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java in mid-February 2026. The closed meeting covered various topics about Indonesia's future challenges and the consolidation of supporting political parties.
"But not only that, there are other issues, our thoughts on future challenges faced by all coalition parties. NasDem is positioned within the coalition, that's also clear," he said.
Surya also mentioned the issue of expressing criticism in today's democratic life. Surya believes that criticism is part of the effort to build a spirit of improvement in the nation-building process. However, he stated that criticism should not weaken and should stay within limits to remain essential.
In the previous edition of Tempo Magazine, it was revealed that Prabowo proposed to Surya Paloh to merge the NasDem party with Gerindra. The idea emerged after their meeting at Prabowo's residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java in mid-February 2026.
If this idea comes to fruition, the merger of the two parties would gather almost 35 million national votes or 23 percent based on the results of the 2024 election. According to three top NasDem officials, Surya did not welcome the proposal because he wants to maintain NasDem's position and has not yet seen the benefits of the merger for NasDem.
Deputy Chairman of the NasDem Party, Saan Mustopa, expressed surprise at this information. He was reluctant to refer to the issue of the merger of the two parties as a merger or acquisition, but rather as a fusion as the official term.
Saan believes that merging the two parties is a reasonable idea, especially since it happened in 1973. However, compared to that time, he considers that the current idea of a merger for the two parties is more difficult to realize due to differences in party philosophies.
"For example, in terms of ideological context, identity, and the existence of the party, because building or establishing a party, the party founders each have their own idealism and ideas in different contexts," he said at the DPR Complex in Jakarta on Monday, April 13, 2026.
Egi Adyatama contributed for this article.
Read: NasDem Slams Tempo, Says Surya Paloh Is 'Always Happy'
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