Jokowi and his family are sued by the PTUN regarding political dynasties

President Jokowi and members of his family were sued by the Jakarta PTUN on charges of building a political dynasty.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI. The original article can be found in Jokowi dan Keluarganya Digugat ke PTUN Terkait Dinasti Politik

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

A number of advocates on behalf of the Indonesian Democracy Defense Team and Perekat Nusantara sued President Jokowi and his family at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN), Friday (12/1/2024). Jokowi was sued because he was deemed to have committed unlawful acts by state government bodies and/or officials (onrechtmatige overheidsdaad) related to accusations of dynastic politics.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — A number of advocates who are members of the Indonesian Democracy Defense Team and Perekat Nusantara are suing President Joko Widodo and his family at the State Administrative Court or PTUN Jakarta. The lawsuit was filed on suspicion of committing unlawful acts related to the decision of the Constitutional Court which approved Gibran Rakabuming Raka as vice presidential candidate. President Jokowi is accused of building a political dynasty politics.

The Indonesian Democracy Defense Team and Perekat Nusantara registered a lawsuit with the Jakarta PTUN on Friday (12/1/2024). In the copy of the lawsuit file, it is stated that the person being sued is an unlawful act by state government agencies and/or officials (onrechtmatige overheidsdaad).

Also read: Jokowi, from Democratic Perfection to Dynastic Politics

Indonesian pro-democracy and national unity defender team coordinator, Petrus Selestinus, stated that the lawsuit is a form of resistance against the Constitutional Court decision Number 90/PUU-XII/2023 regarding the age limit for presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

As is known, MK Decision No. 90 states that a person under 40 years old can become a presidential or vice presidential candidate as long as they have held or are currently holding a position that was chosen through an election, including regional head elections (pilkada).

12 parties were sued

According to Petrus, the Constitutional Court's decision cannot be separated from the political dynasty built by President Joko Widodo. This is because the Chief Justice who decided the case is the brother-in-law of the President, namely Anwar Usman. Meanwhile, the impact of the Constitutional Court's Decision No. 90 opens the way for President Joko Widodo's son, Gibran, to run as Vice President to presidential candidate number 2, Prabowo Subianto.

Also read: Dragging the Constitutional Court Behind Dynasty Politics

Petrus stated that there are 12 parties who have been sued, namely President Joko Widodo, Anwar Usman, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Kaesang Pangarep, Iriana Joko Widodo, and Bobby Nasution. They are all part of President Joko Widodo's extended family.

Dynasty Political Poll Research Infographic

Next, those sued were Prabowo Subianto, the General Election Commission, two Constitutional Court judges; Saldi Isra and Arief Hidayat, as well as the Tempo editorial team for the podcast or podcast Bocor Alus.

Iklan

Petrus stated that President Joko Widodo had used his power to shift the legal boundaries, thus resulting in his son, Gibran, being chosen as a vice presidential candidate.

According to Petrus, Anwar Usman, who was the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court at the time, should not have presided over the case due to a conflict of interest with Gibran, who happens to be his nephew. Later, the Honorary Council of the Constitutional Court ruled that Anwar Usman had committed a serious ethical violation in deciding the case number 90/PUU-XII/2023.

"If the community itself has judged the Constitutional Court as a family court, it means that the current political dynasty and nepotism are strengthening," said Petrus.

Petrus stated that not all of the defendants were involved or had a role in the practice of political dynasties.

Also read: Political Dynasties and the Threat of Democracy

Petrus said that not all of the defendants were involved or had a hand in the practices of political dynasties. However, their statements were considered important to be heard in the trial. "For example, Constitutional Court judges Saldi Isra and Arief Hidayat, they are actually heroes because they gave a dissenting opinion and opened the game in a vulgar manner in the trial of decision number 90," said Petrus.

Meanwhile, Tempo's Bocor Alus podcast program was also among the parties being sued, continued Petrus, because from the start it had revealed nepotistic efforts to nominate Gibran in the 2024 Election.

"Tempo revealed political dynasties, nepotism started in Solo. In fact, Mrs. Iriana was nicknamed in Tempo as the Queen Mother. Discussions about plans to promote Gibran took place a year ago. So it's not ultimately as a result of this MK decision. "The idea was to run as a candidate for vice president in a mature manner a year ago," said Petrus.

Banners rejecting dynastic politics were displayed in several locations in Jakarta, one of which was on the pedestrian overpass of Jalan Arteri Pondok Indah, Jakarta on Sunday (15/10/2023). One major anomaly in a democratic country is the emergence of family-based dynasties.

Hope clears up

Petrus hopes that the PTUN Panel of Judges will grant this request in order to show the public that currently there is a practice of dynastic power in Indonesia. Petrus said that the PTUN's current position is the public's hope for clearing up the chaos of legal issues that occur solely as a result of political dynasties and nepotism.

"If this political dynasty and nepotism are not immediately cleaned up or prevented, then the sovereignty of the people will be replaced by the sovereignty of a political dynasty," said Petrus.

Also read: Politics of the Jokowi Dynasty?

The results of the Kompas Research and Development poll in mid-October 2023 showed that 60.7 percent of respondents admitted that Gibran's move to run as a candidate in the presidential election was a form of dynastic political practice.

Head of the International Relations Study Program, Yogyakarta Muhammadiyah University Masters Program, Ahmad Sahide, in his article in Kompas (3/11/2023), stated that the road to the establishment of dynastic politics is getting faster and is being carried out by violating the democratic rules of the game. starting at the Constitutional Court.

According to Ahmad, the public perceives that the Constitutional Court's decision is actually only intended for one person, namely Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of President Joko Widodo. Ahmad stated that Jokowi was democratically elected as President, but is ending his term with dynastic political practices.