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Jakarta Post

Jokowi to aides: Stop term extension talk

President’s remarks leave loophole, says political scientist.

Yerica Lai (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, April 7, 2022

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Jokowi to aides: Stop term extension talk

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resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has ordered his aides to stop calling for an extension of his term or the postponement of the 2024 elections, asking them instead to focus on handling the rising threat of inflation. But he stopped short of rejecting the idea of having his term extended outright.

“Nobody brings up the matter of [a term] extension nor [elections] delay anymore. No more,” the President said as he closed his opening remark during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, a recording of which was only published by the Presidential Secretariat on Youtube on Wednesday. 

He said that his ministers should “focus on working to handle difficulties [people are facing due to inflation].”

Citing the need for economic recovery and Jokowi’s high public approval rating, political elites from the ruling coalition and Jokowi’s administration have publicly suggested the election be postponed to give the President more time to deal with the consequences of the pandemic.

Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia was the first to raise the idea of delaying the elections as he claimed in January that the business community was concerned that the political upheaval associated with election time might disrupt Indonesia's post-pandemic economic recovery.

The idea then gained support, with Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto, National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Muhaimin Iskandar and National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Zulkifli Hasan in late February publicly suggesting the 2024 elections be postponed.

Jokowi’s grassroots supporters have even called for the Constitution to be amended to allow presidents to stay in office for three consecutive terms instead of two, paving the way for him to run again in 2024.

Credible polls however have repeatedly found that the majority of respondents believe the presidential elections should be held according to regular practice once every five years without being postponed for any reason.

A March survey by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) found that the majority of Indonesians rejected the idea of extending the presidential term, either by constitutional amendment to allow for a third term or by delaying the 2024 elections for a few years.

Some 78.9 percent of respondents disagreed with postponing the elections because of the pandemic. Some 79.8 percent of respondents cited economic conditions as a reason to reject the idea and 78.5 percent said they disagreed with election delays because the construction of the new capital city had yet to be completed, according to the survey, which was published last Friday.

Meanwhile, 73 percent of respondents said that the presidential term should be limited to two terms, in line with the Constitution.

The persisting debate about delaying the elections or extending the presidential term limit has also negatively impacted Jokowi’s approval rating, according to the survey. As many as 64 percent of respondents said they approved of Jokowi’s performance, a drop from 71.7 percent in a December survey.

But still, even after the controversial proposal was met with strong resistance from major political parties within the ruling coalition and the opposition, the political manoeuvering pushing for an extension of Jokowi’s term beyond 2024 has appeared to continue intensifying in recent weeks.

Since mid-March, banners bearing the slogan, "The Hope of Indonesian People #2024StayLoyalWithJokowi”, have been visible across Palembang, South Sumatera, Jambi and South Lampung. The banners, which were put up by the volunteer group Koalisi Bersama Rakyat (With the People Coalition), were meant to create the impression that there was overwhelming grassroots support for Jokowi’s third term.

Last week, Jokowi and a number of ministers attended the national gathering of the All-Indonesia Village Administration Association (Adepsi) at the Senayan sports hall in Jakarta, during which thousands of village heads reportedly chanted their support for the extension of his term.

Allegations have also arisen that the palace is behind a movement called #Jokowi3periode (Jokowi for three periods), even though Jokowi’s close aides such as Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung have denied the accusations.

“There are those who continue to try for the sake of trying. But as we all know, changing [the Constitution] is not easy and it will open up Pandora's box,” Pramono said during a Monday’s meeting with members of House of Representatives Commission II overseeing home affairs.

Home Minister Tito Karnavian reassured the public on Tuesday that the general elections were still on for February 2024, in line with what had already been decided by election organizers, lawmakers and the government. However, he also said that amending the Constitution, which mandates that elections are held once every five years and limits presidents and vice presidents to two five-year terms in office, was "not taboo", Kompas TV reported.

Jokowi has recently shied away from commenting explicitly on whether he was against or supported the notion of a longer term, but has instead said he would obey the Constitution and such an idea was the aspiration of the people.

Firman Noor, a senior political researcher of the Center of Political Research at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), still believed that Jokowi’s latest response left a loophole.

“The remarks were leveled at those in the Cabinet. This leaves the discourse open among his coalition parties at the House,” Firman said on Wednesday.

Firman said Jokowi's remarks should be clearly leveled at the public and he should put forward his commitment to the two-term limits and that he would not run again in the upcoming elections.

Feri Amsari, a constitutional expert at Andalas University, agreed, saying the President’s remark would not end the discourse as the President was still tiptoeing around the issues.

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