Pandemic and Constitution
The symptom of the temptation in engineering an authoritarian state had got the chance to happen in Indonesia. The symptom was the idea that President Jokowi can be re-elected for a third time.
J Kristiadi
"The proposal plunges me into something,"
(Official account of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in Twitter, @jokowi, Sunday (2/12/2019).
Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, there have been many debates about the type of government system that is considered most effective in dealing with Covid-19. Authoritarian or semi-authoritarian countries are considered more successful than countries that believe in democracy. However, so far the validity of the authentication has not been accounted for, considering that ranking the effectiveness of dealing with a pandemic is not easy.
Normally, this is measured by easing lockdowns, population mobility control regulations, economic recovery strategies, fluctuating virulence and mortality. The final criterion is not easy because the countries reporting the deaths also vary. Belgium, for example, includes the deaths of those suspected of being infected by the coronavirus, but not confirmed by tests. Moreover, quite a number of countries are not transparent in reporting their citizens who died due to Covid-19.
According to an Australian think tank, Lowy Institute, it is impossible for a particular system of government to be the permanent champion of mitigating the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, there is no convincing theory that can explain the difference in the effectiveness of state capabilities, even though one country proves to be much more effective than another. The institute also said that based on the Covid-19 performance index, the model of lockdowns and border closures implemented by authoritarian countries does have "long-term advantages" in curbing the virus. Democratic countries have more stamina to deal with the pandemic and are also more effective. (News.com.au, 28/1/2021).
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Francis Fukuyama\'s argument about the effectiveness of the state in dealing with pandemics is more valid. The problem is not a dichotomous choice between authoritarianism or democracy. Central issues are state capacity, social trust, bureaucracy or competent civil servants, and effective national leadership. Countries where political institutions and bureaucracies do not function properly, society is fragmented, and trust in government is low, are difficult to control the coronavirus outbreak. Therefore, the issue is not about the regime type. (The Pandemic and Political Order, in Foreign Affairs, July/August edition 2020).
Even though there is no positive correlation between authoritarian rule and the effectiveness of mitigating the pandemic, elites in a number of countries are tempted to consolidate their power and tighten control over civil society which can lead to or strengthen the authoritarian system.
The symptom of the temptation in engineering an authoritarian state had got the chance to happen in Indonesia. The symptom was the idea that President Jokowi can be re-elected for a third time. The embryo started by developing the issue of the need for Indonesia to revive the State Guidelines for sustainable development programs. The scenario was the amendment of the 1945 Constitution, the president is re-elected by the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) and is responsible to the MPR as the highest state institution. One of the most important results of the reform wanted to be changed for the sake of power.
The annual session of the People\'s Consultative Assembly and the Joint Session of the House of Representatives - Regional Representatives Council at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Friday (14/8/2020).
The ball of the issue among the political elite was rolling fast. It was said that most of the factions in the MPR agreed. Several groups of civil society also participated in campaigning for the issue. Even, the results of unannounced surveys by several institutions in April-May 2021 indicated that support for the proposal that President Jokowi can be re-elected for the third period tended to increase. The results of the SMRC survey said that respondents who did not agree with President Jokowi running again reached 52.9 percent, 40.2 percent agreed, and 6.9 percent answered they did not know.
Signs of ideas that threaten democracy by tearing apart the constitution to perpetuate the favor of the power hunters, stung President Jokowi\'s sense of smell. He refused, even accusing the proposers of wanting to slap in the face, look for attention, and plunge him into something. Provisions for limiting the office of the president are very important to prevent the return of a repressive authoritarian system. President Jokowi\'s response was very effective, so the issue was extinguished. Imagine if the reaction was in the form of a winged sentence, it is almost certain that the story would be different. Moreover if the president suffers from megalomania.
In the United States, the "ancestor" of modern democracy, a two-term limit required about 200 proposals between 1796 and 1940. Finally in the 1950s the 22nd amendment to the constitution limited the president’s term of office to two periods. This was after President Franklin D Roosevelt served three terms and won the fourth election. However, he died in April 1945, before serving his fourth term (www.history.com/news/fdr-four-term-president-22-amendment).
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The increasing escalation of the Covid-19 pandemic and the temptation of the idea of President Jokowi being elected for the third time have not dampened the public\'s hope that the 2024 presidential election will be of higher quality. Expectations began to grow with the news of Kompas on 27 June 2021. Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo gave an example of fighting a pandemic like a warrior who works hard for the safety of the people. West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil relies on the politics of common sense and the politics of self-awareness. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan does more or less the same thing. The three figures, based on the results of the presidential candidate survey, are always at the top.
The initial symptoms are encouraging because the three of them intend to compete to extinguish the pandemic as a means of competition in 2024. Hopefully, the initial intentions of the three politicians will serve as role models for other candidates.
J KRISTIADI, Senior Researcher of Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.
