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The 'seven-year itch' in Jokowi’s presidency
With three years left to his second and final term, does the President have what it takes to survive the fabled "seven-year itch"?
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President Joko Widodo raises a fist during his state of the nation address, which he delivered on Aug. 16, 2021 in traditional Baduy costume. (BPMI Setpres/Lukas)
T
he popular belief that any romantic relationship will begin to falter after seven years may not apply in the case of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, at least not when it comes to his relationship with the people. But his marriage with the political parties of his coalition government is starting to show symptoms of the seven-year itch.
This week marks the seventh year since Jokowi took the nation’s helm, and with no prospect of getting reelected without amending the presidential term limits, he has three more years left to build whatever legacy he wants to leave behind when he steps down in 2024.
In his second inaugural address on Oct. 20, 2019, Jokowi vowed to continue developing Indonesia so it would be more prosperous, advanced and on a par with top-flight countries. He envisions the country ranking among the world’s top five economies by its independence centennial in 2045, from 16th at present.
All opinion polls show that Jokowi still commands popular support, even after issuing painful policies to tackle COVID-19. In the latest September poll from Indikator Politik Indonesia, his approval rating fell to 58 percent from 63 percent in February, but this means he still enjoys the support of more than half the nation.
He is even seeing a groundswell of grassroots support for him to rule beyond 2024, with calls for the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) to make this possible when it discusses amending the Constitution.
How likely this will be, however, depends on another relationship Jokowi has been nurturing, that with the political parties that have partial control of the Assembly.
Seven of the nine political parties in the House of Representatives comprise his coalition government and together control 82 percent of House seats. This means the government could pass any legislation with little resistance.
