Drama Minus Substance
The contemporary political discourse has been marked by a show of political symbols.
Nasdem Party chairman Surya Paloh (right) accompanies President Joko Widodo (second right) on Monday evening (11/11/2019), during the party’s 8th anniversary celebration and closing ceremony of the Second Nasdem Congress at the Jakarta International Theater in Central Jakarta. Vice President Ma\'ruf Amin, former vice president Jusuf Kalla, House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri also attended the event.
The contemporary political discourse has been marked by a show of political symbols. The hugging of the leadership of political parties becomes a material satire against the political elite.
The tight hugging of NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh with Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chairman Sohibul Iman has become a multi-interpreted "political hug". Political speculation has been wild. Some interpreted the "political hugging" as a symptom of the breakdown of President Jokowi-Ma\'ruf Amin\'s government coalition. The analysis was denied by President Jokowi himself when closing the NasDem Congress, which was also attended by the chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, Megawati Soekarnoputri.