The People behind the Election Delay Proposal
Although the government has explicitly said that there has been no serious discussion in cabinet about delaying the elections or prolonging the presidential term of office, the fact is that these rumors continue to swirl. Triggered by statements from the leaders of coalition parties, it turns out that the people behind them are close associates of Jokowi.
Where did these crazy ideas come from? Why are the two parties that claim to be the “offspring of the Reformasi movement,” namely the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the National Awakening Party (PKB), supporting an idea that would wreck democracy and return Indonesia to the dark days of authoritarianism?
We searched for the main actors who started these rumors. We interviewed a number of politicians with knowledge of the scenario to prolong the presidential term of office. They told us about the role of a minister who enjoys the trust of President Jokowi, Luhut Pandjaitan, in the hubbub behind the idea of delaying the elections.
According to these sources, Luhut is said to have summoned three party chairpersons and asked them to push for a prolonging of President Jokowi’s tenure. Pressure was put on one party leader, who was threatened with losing their position in government as well as in the party if they refused to go along with this instruction.
This scenario to extend the term of office began a year ago. A number of sources told us about the role, yet again, of a trusted presidential associate, Andi Widjajanto, in drawing up this scenario. Three scenarios, from best to worst, were drawn up by the former cabinet secretary who is now governor of the National Resilience Institute.
This proposal met with opposition from other parties. In Hambalang, Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Subianto organized a meeting with his subordinates to discuss the plan to delay the election. He met with senior Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) leader Puan Maharani and conveyed the opinion of his party.
In the House of Representatives, there has been lobbying to support the extension of Jokowi’s presidential term. A number of House members have said that their colleagues at Senayan have also asked for support for this proposal. The people’s representatives will benefit if the proposal comes to fruition because their terms will also be extended.
Because this idea has persisted for a number of years, it appears that there is an extensive plan to wait until the people stop paying attention so politicians can realize it through an amendment to the 1945 Constitution. With the support of the majority, it will not be difficult for Jokowi to achieve his aim of violating the constitution.
What are his chances? We report this in our cover story. Enjoy the magazine.
Stefanus Pramono
Managing Editor
Maneuvers to Delay the Elections
The Calls to Prolong the Presidential Term
The Prabowo-Puan Agreement
What are the opinions of Prabowo Subianto and Puan Maharani? The stance of these two major party leaders could determine the outcome of the efforts to delay the elections.
Opinion: Why We Must Oppose the Proposal to Delay the Elections
