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Demands for policymakers to revise Village Law grow
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All politics is local: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (center) attends the national gathering of the All-Indonesia Village Administration Association (Apdesi) at Senayan Sports Hall on March 29. (Courtesy of /Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau)
T
housands of members of the Indonesian Village Apparatus Association (PPDI) from across Indonesia staged a protest demanding that policymakers revise the 2014 Village Law before the 2024 presidential and legislative elections, in Jakarta on Wednesday, a week after a similar protest by village heads.
They gathered in front of the House of Representatives, demanding that clearer employment status for village officials, such as secretaries and treasurers, be stipulated in the Village Law, whether they are civil servants or contract workers working for the government.
"We are seeking clarity on our status as village officials. Until now there has been no clarity in the status of our employment,” Cuk Suryadi, head of the rally committee, told reporters.
The PPID’s Widhi Hartono, meanwhile, said in a statement that they “want the House and the government to revise the law prior to the 2024 general elections”.
Wednesday’s rally came after thousands of village heads across Indonesia grouped under the All-Indonesia Village Administration Association (Apdesi) held a similar protest in front of the House last week demanding a longer term in office, from six to nine years with a three-period limit.
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Budiman Sudjatmiko, who met with President Joko " Jokowi" Widodo behind closed doors at the State Palace on the same day as last week’s protest, claimed that the President supported the idea of extending the terms. Budiman is the supervisory board chairman of a group called the Indonesian Village Administration Apparatus Association (Papdesi).
But when asked by reporters about his stance on Tuesday, the President made no mention of supporting the extension. He referred to the proposal as an “aspiration”, saying that village heads should bring the matter to the House and that the authority to change a law lay with the House.
