Political parties must listen to the voice of the people if they do not have presidential nominees with high electability. From the political perspective, 2022 looks hopeful, but with challenges to come.
By
J KRISTIADI
·4 minutes read
KUM
J Kristiadi
For a democratic country, it is common that the political temperature escalates ahead of an election, which is a celebration of the people's sovereignty. The intensity of the public celebration can be felt on social media, particularly in the discourses over which presidential pair to support and the guessing game on potential running mates. It is also felt in the thousands of giant billboard campaigns for 2024 installed in various corners of the country, bearing the faces of the presidential and vice presidential candidates.
This enthusiasm will certainly increase as the 2024 democratic festival draws near. So far, the “election fever” is still at a normal temperature, although it is warming. Entering 2022, the political dynamics is encouraging initial capital.
There are several political phenomena which serves as a capital to maintain and strengthen political stability next year.
First, the Joko Widodo-Ma'ruf Amin administration has the support of more than 70 percent of legislators, so any conflicts of interest between the government and the House of Representatives can be resolved without excessive political turmoil. Congestion in administering the government can also be avoided, so that government policies are more effective. However, some people are concerned that the government’s growing strength is not accompanied by adequate political control. The idea to amend the 1945 Constitution is suspected of being a political maneuver to strengthen the oligarchy by extending the presidential terms of office.
Second, the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted a sense of fellowship among citizens. Members of the community have been work hand in hand across primordial divisions. Regional heads are also competing to ensure that their areas can be downgraded in the category of the public activity restrictions (PPKM). It is not surprising that Indonesia has been among the top rankings as regards its pandemic response in recent months, compared to several countries in Asia and Europe. Striving for political achievements through pandemic mitigation seems to be the recipe for a very healthy political battle in the 2024 general elections.
This phenomenon is vastly different from the political dynamics that preceded the 2019 presidential election. The political upheaval at that time was due to the widespread hoaxes that spurred hate tinged with nuances of primordial identity. Elections are no longer a battleground for noble ideas, but of life and death, and political opponents are no longer competitors to be respected, but enemies to be slain. The result was tragic. The election, which was supposed to be a festival of people celebrating their sovereignty, actually made people sad, anxious and fearful.
Kompas
Supriyanto
Anxiety prevails on entering 2022, because people are concerned that politics is just a game for the oligarchs to control the political field and maintain power. The anxiety is not excessive because money politics, political corruption, dynastic politics and the like have been rampant over the last 20 years. The destructive power of corruption has almost paralyzed political institutions, the state and the bureaucracy.
The elections are supported by pseudo political stability, because political mechanisms controlled by invisible hands will only pave the way for authoritarian leaders to rule over this republic. An authentic example of pseudo political stability is the New Order regime, under which the state could do anything in the name of political stability, including suppressing the citizens' political rights.
Political stability and health ensures that political institutions, the state and the government have the capacity to work to fulfill their primary functions while interacting harmoniously with each other in a unified system. Thus, the system is able to manage any incidences of political turmoil without excesses.
Today, political stability in Indonesia is a combination of the interaction between political institutions and the state that are weak and have poor credibility, and a political oligarchy that is growing stronger. If this situation is left unchecked, it is almost certain that the oligarchy will run rampant. Therefore, the remaining constructive energy of political institutions and the state must be capitalized to produce political stability as a product of a healthy system.
The 2024 election is an opportunity for civil society to participate in saving our democracy, for example, by ramping up discourse so that political parties prepare qualified cadres to take seats in the House and on regional legislative councils. The key is to conduct a transparent, accountable and meritocratic selection process to produce qualified and competent candidates.
Likewise, political parties must listen to the voice of the people if they do not have presidential nominees with high electability. From the political perspective, 2022 looks hopeful, but with challenges to come.
