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Large coalition weakens checks and balances: Expert
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Upbeat -- President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla take a picture with new Cabinet members at the State Palace in Jakarta on July 27. (Antara Foto/Widodo S. Jusuf)
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political expert has warned a large coalition supporting President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration will weaken the system of checks and balances within the government as political parties in such a coalition tend to neglect public concerns and instead fight for the sake of their own interests.
“The presence of opposition parties is needed to ensure the system of checks and balances in the current government runs well,” Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) executive director Philips J. Vermonte said on Tuesday.
He made the statement in response to the result of a recent CSIS survey that found 71 percent of 1,000 respondents believed Jokowi would be able to manage his supporting coalition, specifically after Indonesia’s second-biggest party, the Golkar Party, and the National Mandate Party (PAN) decided to support the government.
With Golkar and PAN’s support, Jokowi has stronger support at the House of Representatives, with 386 out of 560 lawmakers standing behind him.
The survey also found that, however, 51.4 percent of respondents believed House lawmakers had not monitored the implementation of the legislation properly, although 56.2 percent of those surveyed said the House had done a good job in creating laws.
Golkar lawmaker Nurul Arifin said although her party had joined Jokowi’s supporting coalition; it would not hesitate to criticize the government if necessary.
“We will remain critical but of course we will deliver criticism through a proper channel,” she said. (wnd/ebf)
