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Jokowi’s ‘meddling’ grounds for impeachment, former deputy minister says in open letter
Jokowi is accused of meddling in the search for a successor, which is grounds for impeachment, former deputy law minister Denny Indrayana stated in an open letter appealing for action by lawmakers.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (third right), accompanied by National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Zulkifli Hasan (second right), Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto (third left), Gerindra chairman Prabowo Subianto (second left), National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar (left) and United Development Party (PPP) acting chairman Muhamad Mardiono (right), gives a press statement after attending a Ramadan gathering at the PAN central executive board office in Jakarta on April 2, 2023. (Antara/Aprillio Akbar)
Accusing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo of trying to sabotage the nomination of opposition figurehead Anies Baswedan in next year’s election, former deputy law minister Denny Indrayana Indrayana insists that Jokowi’s conduct is grounds for impeachment and that lawmakers should investigate a potential breach of the Constitution.
“The House of Representatives must use its right of interpellation to investigate whether the President had taken advantage of his position of authority to direct the Corruption Eradication Commission [KPK], the Supreme Court and the National Police to block Anies’ nomination to run in the 2024 presidential election,” Denny wrote in an open letter published on Wednesday.
The statement is the latest to come from an ongoing debate sparked by Jokowi’s admission that he would not remain neutral in the search for his eventual successor.
Likening the President’s conduct to that of former United States president Richard Nixon’s role in the Watergate scandal, the constitutional law expert outlined several pieces of anecdotal and circumstantial evidence that he believes should be enough for the House to launch an inquiry.
At the heart of the Watergate scandal is a probe that proved Nixon was complicit in the cover-up of a 1972 burglary attempt on his election rivals. Nixon stepped down as a result.
Based on hearsay from within the Democratic Party, Denny alleged that President Jokowi had informed a former vice president in a meeting that the 2024 race would only feature two presidential candidates. This “unsettling” information was relayed to former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in September of last year.
“[The former VP was] told that there would only be two candidates, while Anies would be the subject of a KPK investigation,” said the former aide to Yudhoyono.
