Terms of Office, Mathematics, and Medium of Exchange
The current political elite of Indonesia has not changed since the reform movement 25 years ago. Organizations from the villages to the state need a rotation of power.
By
Bivitri Susanti
·5 minutes read
SALOMO TOBING
Bivitri Susanti
A term of office is neither mathematics nor a medium of exchange, because a term of office is not a matter of calculating the profits and losses of the individual who holds the position. However, it is the duration a seat can be occupied to serve those who provided the power and authority to manage, namely the people.
Let's map out the situation regarding the term of office. After the village heads demanded a term of nine years at the last three elections, it gave rise to discourse about extending the presidential term or postponing the general elections that is still circulating. The political elite are playing with this issue through various surveys, discussion forums, and declarations. It could be that this discourse is merely part of an effort to win enough votes to meet the presidential threshold.
Whatever the case, while this discourse continues, many can use it for their own interests. After a while, ordinary people who have no power will be disadvantaged. Of course, it could also be that the discourse on extending the presidential term is indeed a serious political agenda.
The problem is, the political elite at the regional level can imitate the behavior of the political elite at the national level. When the latter shamelessly demonstrate greed for positions and ignorance of ethics, the elite at the village level can imitate it. Moreover, we are talking about a number that is not small. According to 2021 data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Indonesia has 84,096 villages. In electoral politics, quantity has high bargaining power.
It is also worth noting that since the enactment of Law No. 6/2014 on Villages, the villages manage a very large budget. That means there are resources that have become an opiate and temptation, so that three six-year terms are now considered too short. It should be noted that according to Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) records, 676 village heads were involved in corruption cases during the 2015-2020 period.
In general, Indonesians consider position as a source of power and respect, like in a feudal society. Therefore, an office is often traded or arranged so it remains in a family. This occurs not only with elected positions such as the presidency and the regional leadership posts, but also for nonelected positions that are selected by the people’s representatives, such as the Supreme Court justices, Constitutional Court justices, and leaders of various commissions, such as the Corruption Eradication Commission.
As a result, laws sometimes determine the minimum and maximum ages without data or empirical studies. Commissionerships are also often used as a medium of exchange in the political market. It often happens that public officials are not selected based on their track record in terms of stance, performance, and integrity, but regarding the student organizations they are part of and their religion. In the context of elections, family members occupy various positions for the sake of the political contest so that power and respect can be maintained in the family. This is exactly like in a feudal society, running over all ethical measures in a modern democracy.
In fact, a term of office is the time period given to an official to carry out their mandate. Even if a term is doubled, for example, the second term is intended to be an electoral evaluation tool. The term of the president of the Republic of Indonesia, for example, may be 10 years, but he is evaluated after the first five years. Therefore, there is no formula for determining a term of office. In the United States, a president serves only four years for a maximum of two terms. In the Philippines, which also has a presidential system, a president serves six years, but for only one term. The common thread is not very long.
Limiting the term of office is necessary for two things. First, power should not become too comfortable, nor should it be held for too long, because it can harm the system and people, both those who hold power and the citizens who give power. If power stops being limited even just once and briefly (in terms of delaying the general elections), the power holders will try to keep their power by all means, including killing democracy and the rule of law.
Second, organizations from the villages to the state need a rotation of power. The change in power will foster a new generation of leaders. This new generation will open greater opportunities to encourage adaptation and innovation, and can break the too-long network of power.
The current political elite of Indonesia has not changed since the reform movement 25 years ago. Of course, when talking about generations in politics, we are not only discussing age or youth, as in a uniformed youth organization, but in terms of thinking. A “young” generation that has a link to the networks of the old elite and old oligarchy and also possesses conservative thinking is not the new generation we expect will break the nation's political impasse.
BIVITRI SUSANTI, Lecturer at the Jentera Indonesia School of Law
