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Eyes on Jokowi amid poll delay pushback

The President has remained silent after leaders of political parties within the ruling coalition suggested last week that the upcoming elections be postponed, raising questions about whether the proposal came from the President himself.

Yerica Lai (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, March 4, 2022

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Eyes on Jokowi amid poll delay pushback

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resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is facing growing pressure to publicly address proposals to extend his presidential term floated by several leaders of his legislative coalition.

The President has remained silent after leaders of political parties within the ruling coalition suggested last week that the upcoming elections be postponed, raising questions about whether the proposal came from Jokowi himself.

Ahmad Khoirul Umam, executive director of the Institute for Democracy and Strategic Affairs, said that if Jokowi truly had no intention of extending his term, he should come forward and firmly convey that stance to the public.

“[Jokowi’s] silence indicates that there is a calculation, a strategy to buy more time. If his silence persists, then it is reasonable that civil society […] will start questioning his commitment to the reform that has been entrusted to him,” Khoirul said in a live-streamed discussion.

Ahmad suspected that the current discourse on delaying the election was part of a pattern of testing the waters for an extension of Jokowi’s term, as advanced previously by the Presidential Palace.

"If we look at the pattern, it is quite systematic. First, it was conveyed by a minister. The resistance was quite strong because it did not have sufficient political power. But the second one was carried out simultaneously by political parties, leaders of political parties," said Umam.

Feri Amsari, a constitutional expert at Andalas University, said Jokowi should reject the notion of postponing the 2024 election.

“The President himself must firmly stop it, and not only with words, but also with actions,” Feri said on Saturday.

Polls have repeatedly found that the majority of Indonesians support the idea that the presidential election should be held according to regular practice once every five years, without postponement for any reason.

In December of last year, a survey by Indikator Politik found that the majority of the public (58 percent) disagreed or strongly disagreed that Jokowi’s term in office should be extended until 2027 so that he could complete his pandemic handling and national economic recovery agenda. Meanwhile, 35.5 percent strongly agreed or agreed.

Legislative stumbling block

Constitutional law expert Yusril Mahendra said delaying the elections would require an amendment of the 1945 Constitution.

"What needs to be changed is not literally changing the articles of the current Constitution, but adding a new article in the Constitution related to general elections," Yusril said in a statement.

A constitutional amendment can only be advanced in a special plenary session of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), which consists of the 575 members of the House of Representatives and the 136 members of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD).

Of the 575 House lawmakers, 64 percent are from political factions that oppose extending Jokowi’s term.

Currently, only the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Golkar Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN) have publicly supported the proposal, while the United Development Party (PPP) is still on the fence. 

Most parties have refused to back the idea.

Hasto Kristiyanto, secretary-general of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said last Thursday that his party would stick to the Constitution and five-year election cycle.

“Also, the President's oath states the importance of upholding the Constitution and carrying out all laws and regulations as directly as possible,” Hasto said.

NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh said that his party adhered to the Constitution, which clearly stated that presidential and legislative elections were to be held every five years.

While he noted his party still remained open to the possibility of delaying an election in emergency situation, such as if war or a major disaster occurred, Surya said there was no reason to delay the 2024 elections, as such a state of calamity was not reflected by the current circumstances.

He added that he respected other political parties’ views but encouraged his faction in the House to push for the 2024 elections to go forward according to schedule.

"I respect that other political parties have their arguments for the proposal to extend the presidential term," Surya said. "Our country's system is a democracy, a super liberal democracy. If it has just been an exercise in throwing small [ideas] around, NasDem understands that we're not interested in discussing this seriously.”

As of Wednesday, Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto had not spoken on the issue, but his spokesperson Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said on Tuesday, “Regarding the proposal on the 2024 election postponement, Pak Prabowo Subianto has stated that he respects our constitution and a healthy democratic process and continues maintaining communication with leaders of other parties.”

Gerindra Party deputy chairman Sugiono said the party opposed delaying the election as well.

“In general, the public has shown a desire for the election to be held […] in 2024. The government and the House have also agreed to hold the elections on Feb. 14, 2024,” Sugiono said. (ahw)

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