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PAN, Dems waver as PKS stands firm as lone opposition
When President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced the lineup of his second-term Cabinet on Wednesday, political observers pointed out that the President may have decided to keep his enemies closer with the naming of his rival in the election, Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto, as defense minister
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span>When President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced the lineup of his second-term Cabinet on Wednesday, political observers pointed out that the President may have decided to keep his enemies closer with the naming of his rival in the election, Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto, as defense minister.
The unveiling also showed that three of the nine major political parties had not been included in the new administration: the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Democratic Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN).
The three parties obtained only 148 of the total 575 seats in the House of Representatives, with the Dems getting 54 seats, the PKS 50 seats and PAN 44. In contrast, the ruling coalition, which includes the newly joined Gerindra, controls 427 seats in the legislature, or around 74.26 percent.
Of the three, only the PKS is determined to continue its role as an opposition party.
The Dems and PAN, on the other hand, have shown signs of joining the government coalition with discussions being held between their leaders and Jokowi prior to the Cabinet announcement. However, no agreement was reached in the meetings.
PKS executive Mardani Ali Sera said the current power balance between the government coalition and opposition was “unhealthy” for democracy, referring to the 427:148 ratio in the legislature.
"This is a wake-up call about the quality of our democracy," Mardani said on Wednesday.
He added that to foster criticism, the PKS would have to develop a closer relationship with civil society groups, including university students.
“Especially now that an amendment to the 1945 Constitution has been initiated. What would happen to this country when a fundamental decision has to be made, but there’s no political balance?”
Mardani also hoped that the fluctuating nature of Indonesian politics would lead to a change.
“Many parties have entered [the government coalition], but there is a chance that parties will move to the opposition within the next three to six months if the coalition is not well managed,” he said.
Commenting on the PKS’ stance, NasDem Party executive Sugeng Suparwoto said the party wanted to give credit to the PKS' consistency amid the political maneuverings of its counterparts.
Meanwhile, after the new Cabinet’s inauguration, the Dems said that the party would be “better off” performing checks and balances for the next five years.
“Five years ago, we carried out our political function as a counterweight. In the next five years, we will be even better. We will support good policies and will criticize bad ones; that’s our political position," Democratic Party secretary-general Hinca Panjaitan told The Jakarta Post.
PAN executive Yandri Susanto said PAN's political stance was still very dynamic, as he still saw the party working together with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) or Gerindra in the future.
Some experts hope that the Dems will be more critical of the government and its policies so that the party can get the support of voters who are satisfied with Jokowi’s administration.
"The Democrats can partner with the PKS and PAN. Being an assertive opposition could help the Dems gain more votes for the 2024 general election,” said Political analyst Adi Prayitno from Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN).
Indonesia Political Review executive director Ujang Komarudin said he had yet to see signs that the Dems would take on the role of true opposition to the government.
“The Democratic Party tends to play it safe. Moreover, in a recent speech, SBY stated that the Dems would support the government. It seems they will be a loyal and constructive opposition,” Ujang said, referring to Democratic Party chairman and former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
If the Dems continued to be a “modest opposition”, the PKS, the most voted party among the three left outside the Cabinet, is expected to be the strongest opposition to the government, Ujang went on.
In the 2019 legislative election, the PKS came in sixth with 11.49 million votes or 8.21 percent, followed by the Dems with 10.87 million votes or 7.77 percent and PAN with 9.57 million votes or 6.84 percent.
Pelita Harapan University (UPH) political communications expert Emrus Sihombing said the PKS could benefit from the Dems and PAN being half-hearted opposition parties. "By being the only opposition party, it could be easier for the PKS to choose any issue and use it to gain the public’s sympathy,” he said.
However, a large government coalition might not be a problem in the current political era as the people were critical enough.
“The concept of checks and balances was more relevant when social media did not exist and the power of the opposition party was needed. Now, with social media, the public can become an opposition too,” Emrus said.
The University of Indonesia’s (UI) Center for Political Studies director, Hurriyah, said the lack of opposition could lead to “street politics”, which should not be drawn out.
“When the government and legislature work together to create policies that go against the public will, street politics is a way to control them. But this could harm our democracy in the future if it becomes a ‘new normal' in our political landscape.”
