President Joko Widodo (left), Vice President Jusuf Kalla (third from left) converse with the Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution (second from left) and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati before the start of a closed meeting in the Presidential Office, Jakarta (18/7).
Today, October 20, 2017, is the third anniversary of the Joko “Jokowi” Widodo-Jusuf Kalla administration. There are still another two years before the term ends.
These remaining two years will be full of political competitions during the 2018 simultaneous regional elections and the 2019 presidential election. More political uproar may ensue. The political year has begun with the registration of political parties at the General Elections Commission (KPU) and will peak with the simultaneous, five-ballot election on April 17, 2019.
The government surely has an important role in managing political uproar, which has become an inevitability in a democratic system. Democracy is indeed identical with noise and with the presence of differing opinions in the search of common ground. Nevertheless, we hope that all the noise will take place within corridors that do not disrupt national cohesion. Wise words must prevail, especially among the elites, to ensure that our democracy will mature.
A number of political surveys, including that by the Kompas Research and Development division, shows a trend of public satisfaction of around 70 percent in the Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla administration. However, there is still work to be done in law enforcement and price control in relation to purchasing power. Public satisfaction in these sectors is below 60 percent. The issue of human rights violations has not yet been touched.
In their remaining two years, we hope that President Jokowi and Vice President Kalla will continue working to realize all of their campaign promises. Despite the common knowledge that campaigning and governing are different beasts, with campaign promises related to the fulfillment of people’s needs still needing to be fulfilled.
Apart from the massive infrastructure development projects that have gained a positive response, we hope President Jokowi will take concrete steps to resolve issue of economic gaps, including the gap between the rich and the poor and between Java and other islands, in order to establish a just economy. The issue of economic gaps remains one of the most crucial issues to be tackled.
Consolidation between government agencies and among government-supporting political parties is also essential for political stability in governing the nation. Communication must be established with government-supporting political parties. There must not be a sense that one party is left behind in the multiple-party relationships. The President’s leadership as head of government, head of state and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces must be displayed clearly to foster public trust. We also see that the solidarity and neutrality of the National Police and the military are musts in maintaining political stability.
