Switching Lanes to the Legislature

Seven Working Cabinet ministers in President Joko Widodo’s administration are seeking to contest the 2019 legislative election. The names of seven incumbent ministers are among those on the list of legislative candidates recently released by the General Elections Commission.

KOMPAS/ALIF ICHWAN

Visitors read the Provisional Candidate List for the 2019 legislative election at the General Elections Commission (KPU) office, Jakarta, Tuesday (14/8/2018). The list shows that of the 449 legislative candidates proposed, 282 are eligible and the other 167 fail to meet the requirements.

Seven Working Cabinet ministers in President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration are seeking to contest the 2019 legislative election.

The names of seven incumbent ministers are among those on the list of legislative candidates recently released by the General Elections Commission (KPU). From the National Awakening Party (PKB), there are Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Eko Putro Sandjojo (running in Bengkulu electoral district), Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi (Jakarta I) and Manpower Minister M. Hanif Dhakiri (West Java VI).

From the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), there are Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly (North Sumatra I) and Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani (Central Java V). From the United Development Party (PPP), there is Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin (West Java VI). From the National Mandate Party (PAN), there is Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Asman Abnur (Riau Islands).

No ministers from the NasDem Party or the Golkar Party will contest next year’s legislative election. This should be appreciated. As legislative candidates, ministers will be involved in political campaigns – for themselves, for their political parties to pass the 4 percent legislative threshold and for President Jokowi.

However, on the other hand, the sustainability of the Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla administration should be maintained. The current administration is facing huge problems. The continuously fluctuating global economy, US President Donald Trump’s policies, the US-China trade war and economic turmoil in Turkey will spell trouble for the domestic economy. President Jokowi is also facing public demands to fulfill his campaign promises. All of this requires Cabinet members to fully concentrate on helping the President do his work. Cabinet members should be concentrating on tackling economic problems.

However, we acknowledge that no rules are being broken by active ministers who seek to contest elections. The problem is ensuring that no state money is used in political campaigns and that ministers remain fully concentrated on helping the President. If they win in the election and are inaugurated on Oct. 1, 2019, they will surely have to choose between remaining ministers and switching lanes to be lawmakers. Here lies the dilemma. What do people’s votes mean when ministers act only as vote getters during an election, only to switch back and serve as ministers again afterward?

Of the seven ministers, Asman Abnur’s position is most dilemmatic. PAN had been a part of President Jokowi’s ruling coalition since Sept. 2, 2015, as officially announced by its chair Zulkifli Hasan. “We unanimously agree that PAN joins the government,” Zulkifli said (Kompas, May 3, 2015). However, the party has now decided to support the Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno ticket in the 2019 election. In such a situation, President Jokowi should act. Asman’s request to resign from the Cabinet is understandable in terms of political principle, ethics and decency.