Surya Paloh Remembers Guruh Soekarnoputra: A Cultural Figure Kept Away from the Party Leadership Chair
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- Ketua Umum Partai Nasdem Surya Paloh menyebut almarhum Guruh Soekarnoputra sebagai seniman besar yang lebih tepat berkarya di ranah budaya ketimbang politik praktis.
- Guruh pernah berkonsultasi soal kemungkinan memimpin partai, namun Paloh menyarankan agar ia fokus mengembangkan seni dan budaya.
- Jenazah adik Megawati Soekarnoputri itu dimakamkan di TPU Karet Bivak, bersebelahan dengan makam ibunya, Fatmawati Soekarno.
The Nasdem Party expressed its condolences over the death of Guruh Soekarnoputra, the younger brother of PDI Perjuangan Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri. Nasdem Chairman Surya Paloh personally paid his respects at the mourning house in South Jakarta on Saturday (26/9/2026), remembering the deceased as a figure closely identified with the world of art and culture.
Paloh said Guruh was not merely a politician who happened to carry Soekarno's bloodline. According to him, Guruh's talents in dance, music, and performance far outshone his role in the world of power. "He was much more rooted in culture. I knew him as a cultural figure," Paloh said in front of the mourning house.
Paloh then linked Guruh's contributions to the Swara Mahardhika arts group, which he founded in the 1970s. Through that platform, Guruh produced many choreographies and musical compositions that blended Nusantara traditions with a modern touch. "From there, a great deal of creativity in our dance and culture was born," he added.
Behind their long personal closeness, Paloh revealed that Guruh had once asked for his opinion about the possibility of leading a party. Paloh said he reminded Guruh not to get caught up in the dynamics of practical politics. "I told him, you are better suited to focusing on arts and culture," he recalled.
That advice appears to have aligned with Guruh's life path. Throughout his career, he was better known as a choreographer and composer than as a party official. Although he once served as a member of the DPR from PDI-P, coverage of him was almost always tied to artistic works, not political maneuvers.
"He was a younger brother to me, a friend, over a fairly long acquaintance. He has passed away. We pray that he is placed in a good place," said Surya Paloh.
Guruh breathed his last after several days of intensive care at the same hospital. News of his critical condition had drawn public attention. PDI-P Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto confirmed that the funeral procession was held after the zuhur prayer at TPU Karet Bivak, next to the grave of Fatmawati Soekarno.
For the Indonesian public, Guruh's passing closes a long chapter of the Soekarno family on the national stage. He was one of the few figures who chose the cultural path over electoral politics, even though he had full access to both. That choice made his legacy felt more on the arts stage than in party meeting rooms.
Going forward, the remaining question is who will tend the performing arts ecosystem Guruh once built. Swara Mahardhika, which served as his creative laboratory, now faces the challenge of regeneration amid a fast-moving entertainment industry. Without a central figure like Guruh, can that spirit of cultural experimentation survive?
