TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Shaky democracy
There have been talks about changing the rules of the game, including a proposal for a presidential third term, or at least extending the current presidential tenure beyond the two five-year terms.
Change Size
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (Courtesy of Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau/-)
E
verywhere we look, it seems that democracy is having a bad day. In our neighborhood, what has transpired in recent months gave us indications that democracy is at best stagnant and at worst retreating.
In Myanmar, it is safe to say that the military junta has gained a foothold and we cannot expect a breakthrough that would allow for any democratic arrangement to return anytime soon.
In Malaysia, the electorate was further alienated with the election of a new prime minister whose ascendancy to power was simply the result of a backroom deal involving party elites. This marked the return of the country’s old guard.
In neighboring Thailand, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha may have to deal with mass protests and censure from members of the Parliament for his dismal performance in dealing with COVID-19, yet we can expect that the 2014 coup leader will be able to weather the storm and his undemocratic rule will continue.
Things also look worrying in the Philippines. Faced with the prospect of being unable to run again as president due to a constitutional limitation, incumbent President Rodrigo Duterte hatched a plan to stay in politics by running as vice president next year. Analysts believe that Duterte expects he would be able to take over as president under a scenario in which his successor resigns.
Unsurprisingly enough, Indonesia is not immune to the regional trend. In the past few months, there have been talks about changing the rules of the game, including a proposal for a presidential third term, or at least extending the current presidential tenure beyond the two five-year terms.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo himself has rebuffed the plan, but there has been a grassroots movement to push the term extension proposal. A group of volunteers known as Jokpro 2024 has expressed its support for the idea of the incumbent running for a third term.
Also, a polling agency has made claims that a constitutional amendment at the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) would be a shoo-in, given that more than 80 percent of the seats in both chambers of the House is controlled by President Jokowi's coalition. Now, math is on Jokowi’s side, especially after the National Mandate Party's (PAN) decision to join the ruling coalition.
After two decades, we can certainly expect democracy to consolidate and become the only game in town. Yet now more than ever, Indonesia’s democracy is on shaky ground, with political party elites trying to dismantle what’s left of its guardrails.
A military coup in a small African country certainly bears little relevance to us. Yet if there’s any takeaway from the coup in Guinea, it was that politicians should not tinker with term limits, lest they open Pandora's box. The military takeover was backlash against President Alpha Conde’s move to stay in power after he amended the constitutional two-term limit in an attempt to keep his post indefinitely.
For two decades, Indonesia’s democratic experiment is what made it one of the most respected powers in the region. Politicians should consider that before deciding to rig the game.
