Overcoming Seven Challenges to a Good Legacy

The government needs to make a breakthrough to improve performance in a number of aspects that are not considered optimal. The improvement of public appreciation functions as capital for a good legacy.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

President Joko Widodo delivers a statement to the media after giving a briefing at the TNI-Polri Leadership Meeting in Jakarta, Wednesday (8/2/2023).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Even though public satisfaction with the administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin increased again, there are seven challenges in the aspects of law enforcement, economy and social welfare that need to be overcome through policy breakthroughs. The breakthroughs need to be prioritized in order to provide a good legacy for the next government.

Increase in the level of community satisfaction with government performance can function as capital to continue improvement along various lines. According to the results of a survey of the Kompas Research and Development Division in January 2023, the level of satisfaction with the Jokowi-Ma'ruf Amin government was 69.3 percent, an increase of 7.2 percent from the October 2022 survey. The level of satisfaction of this survey became the second highest during the second period of Jokowi after the January 2022 survey was recorded at 73.9 percent.

Of the 20 indicators in four aspects surveyed, namely politics and security, law enforcement, economy and social welfare, all experienced an increase in the level of satisfaction in varied ways. However, there are seven indicators that are still below 50 percent. In the field of law enforcement, the indicators are eradicating bribery and buying and selling cases, eradicating corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN) and ensuring equal treatment by law enforcement officers to all residents. In the fields of economy and social welfare, the indicators comprise empowering farmers and fishermen, providing employment, controlling the prices of goods and services and overcoming poverty.

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The Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD, when met in Jakarta, on Thursday (16/2/2023), said increasing satisfaction in almost all sectors was a reflection of various government efforts. Therefore, the government should continue current policies so that this achievement can continue to improve.

Even though public satisfaction is increasing, Mahfud emphasized that it should not be interpreted as a reason to extend the term of office of the President and postpone the election. This achievement can be a legacy for the next government, in order to maintain and improve performance.

In the remaining 20 months, the government wants to provide a significant legacy in the field of corruption eradication to the next government. Therefore, according to Mahfud, his party sought the ratification of the Draft Law on the Seizure of Assets and Bill on Limiting Kartal (currency) Money Transactions.

This functions like a capital for the new government to make it easier to prevent and crack down on corruption.

If the two bills are passed, the potential for corruption can be reduced and helps recover state losses taken by the corruptors. "This functions like a capital for the new government to make it easier to prevent and crack down on corruption," he said.

Mahfud said, in the political and security aspects as well as law enforcement, the government's work satisfies people. Law enforcement and completion of legal cases neglected by the authorities continue to decrease after the Integrated Criminal Case Management System is made based on information technology (IT). The community can monitor case management.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

President Joko Widodo (center) accompanied by Attorney General ST Burhanuddin, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD, Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission Firli Bahuri, and National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo conveyed various matters related to corruption, especially the drop in the corruption perception index at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday (7/2 /2023).

The government arrested non-active Papua Governor Lukas Enembe, in the midst of the worry about security turmoil. "People feel satisfied, so that shows it is good," Mahfud said.

He remained optimistic that some indicators, with satisfaction levels still below 50 percent, will rise. The government made various improvements, including the application of electronic-based governance systems to narrow the potential of corruption, collusion and nepotism. The court verdict against the former head of the National Police’s Internal Division (Propam) Ferdy Sambo was also praised by the public, thereby increasing public satisfaction.

Fundamental changes

A researcher at the Center for Anti-Corruption Study of the Faculty of Law, Gadjah Mada University, Zaenur Rohman, said that public satisfaction in law enforcement often ranked the lowest. The reason is that satisfaction with this aspect is relatively difficult to improve without fundamental legal reform.

"Other aspects are relatively easy to improve through public communication and populist programs," he said.

Economic sector

President Special Staff for Economic Affairs Arif Budimanta said there was a close relationship between controlling the price of service goods or inflation, providing employment and efforts to alleviate poverty. "President Jokowi's direction, the final one at the meeting of the Regional Leadership Communication Forum and Cabinet meetings, shows a high concern for price control, especially food prices," he said.

Supervision of price control or inflation in regions is continued and is one of three foci of the Home Ministry. The other two are the management of stunting and the eradication of extreme poverty in the regions.

The Statistics Indonesia (BPS) and the Trade Ministry every month support the Home Ministry in overseeing and evaluating performance. Support is realized by providing price-development index data, which includes 20 commodities. "One big task for the government is job creation because there are challenges in automation, efficiency pressure and the fact that the global economy has not recovered," Arif said.

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Nevertheless, according to him, there is a clear direction from President Jokowi to maintain employment or job creation. So, there is encouragement for government projects or those of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), especially related to capital expenditure and maintenance, to be, as far as possible, labor intensive.

"In addition, there is a government regulation in lieu of the law [Perppu] on job creation, which is expected to increase the speed of investment realization," he said.

Executive director of the Center of Reform on Economics Indonesia Mohammad Faisal said, increased satisfaction as seen in the Kompas survey in January 2023 was due to the fact that the economic shock felt by the community in October 2022 was greater. This shock is mainly in terms of inflation or rising prices of goods and services, such as the price of fuel, which was raised in September 2022.

There is also a wave of layoffs felt by some people, especially in the textile- and footwear-industry sectors. According to Faisal, an increase in satisfaction in January 2023 was inextricably linked to people's memory, which had left behind the increase in prices of goods and services in September 2022 and October 2022.

"That means that they have forgotten a little. However, in everyday life, the pressure they feel remains the same," he said.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.