Meeting Legal Experts, Megawati Discusses State Ethics and Legal Conditions in Indonesia

DOKUMENTASI PRIBADI

Chairman of the Indonesian Political and Security Studies Center, Firman Jaya Daeli, paid a visit for Eid al-Fitr greetings to the Chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati Soekarnoputri, at her residence in Teuku Umar area, Jakarta on Wednesday (10/4/2024).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — A number of legal experts, including the Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD Legal Team, met with the General Chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, who is also the 5th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Megawati Soekarnoputri at the moment Eid in 2024. Various things were discussed, starting from the legal and constitutional conditions in Indonesia to ethical issues in national and state life.

During this year's Lebaran, several figures visited Megawati Soekarnoputri's residence in the Teuku Umar area of Menteng, Jakarta. The figures took turns conveying their congratulations on the Idul Fitri holiday to Megawati.

The figures referred to include, among others, the Deputy for the Ganjar-Mahfud Legal Team, Todung Mulya Lubis; Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Indonesian Center for Political and Security Studies (Puspolkam) who is also Deputy Deputy of the Ganjar-Mahfud Legal Team, Firman Jaya Daeli; and constitutional law expert Jimly Asshiddiqie.

Also read: Not just going home and gathering, Eid al-Fitr must be realized in a meaningful way

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

The chairman of the ethics committee of the Constitutional Court Honorary Council, Jimly Asshiddiqie, hung the Indonesian flag he received from the complainants as a show of respect for him in the Constitutional Court Building, Jakarta, on Tuesday (7/11/2023).

Firman, when contacted by Kompas, Thursday (11/4/2024), said that at the meeting, Megawati conveyed many strategic, ideological and constitutional thoughts within the national and state framework. The atmosphere of the discussion was warm and fluid.

"I also conveyed the situation, conditions and developments regarding Indonesian law and the constitution," said Firman.

Also read: Seeking Justice in the 2024 Presidential Election

During the meeting, Megawati was accompanied by the Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reforms (Menpan dan RB) Abdullah Azwar Anas, the Deputy Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) who is also a former Rector of the University of Defense (Unhan) Admiral TNI Purn Amarulla Octavian, and the Secretary General of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Hasto Kristiyanto.

I also conveyed the situation, conditions and developments regarding Indonesian law and the constitution.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Three presidential candidates, namely Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto, and Ganjar Pranowo, were on stage during the 5th round of the Presidential Candidate Debate for the 2024 Election at the Jakarta Convention Center, Jakarta, on Sunday (4/2/2023).

Firman continued to state that in his meeting with Megawati, the formal developments of the presidential election dispute in the Constitutional Court (MK) were also discussed. He also conveyed to Megawati that the Legal Team of Ganjar-Mahfud had presented all the materials of the lawsuit to the judges in the hearing.

Also read: Ganjar-Mahfud Asks MK to Disqualify Prabowo-Gibran

The entire request for a lawsuit mentioned the existence of structured, systematic, and massive violations (TSM) which centered on widespread cheating involving all elements.

"Because, if there is a violation of TSM, it must be an abuse of power. "The essence of TSM, of course, is related to and originates from abuse of power and nepotism," said Firman.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

A mass of protesters consisting of several groups gathered in the General Election Commission (KPU) office area, Jakarta, Wednesday (20/3/2024).

If there is a violation of the TSM, there must be an 'abuse of power'. The essence of TSM, after all, must be related to and sourced from the abuse of power and nepotism.

Next, another material is procedural violations that began with Constitutional Court Decision Number 90 of 2023. The decision became an opportunity for President Joko Widodo's first son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to run as a vice presidential candidate alongside presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.

"When looking at the issue of presidential elections and the subsequent process at the Constitutional Court, she (Madam Megawati) views it as a matter of constitutional sovereignty of the people. This must be done in order to strengthen democracy, coincidentally there is currently a presidential election dispute process at the Constitutional Court," said Firman.

Also read: Judges Deciding Election Disputes

Ideas and thoughts were also conveyed by Megawati. "So, Madame Megawati conveyed ideas and thoughts, ethical messages about the state, and returned to the authentic nature of democracy with the core of people's sovereignty through a constitutional approach," said Firman.

Apart from meeting Firman, Megawati also kept in touch with Jimly Asshidiqie. He admitted that he was grateful to be able to celebrate Eid with Megawati.

Jimly hopes that the momentum of Eid can be used by all parties to ease tensions after the 2024 election, especially the presidential election. "Hopefully the momentum is good even though we know that this is not final yet," he said.

For your information, a request to dispute the results of 2024 Presidential Election is currently being submitted by two rivals Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka, namely the pair Ganjar Pranowo- Mahfud MD and also the Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar couple. If we follow the schedule, the Constitutional Court judges will read out their decision regarding the dispute over the results of the presidential election on Monday (22/4/2024).

Also read: Pursuing Dispute Decision on Presidential Election Results, MK Only Takes Two Days Off for Eid

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

Jimly Asshiddiqie

Jimly hopes that whatever the decision of the Constitutional Court, all parties can accept it with an open heart. Because to arrive at that decision, the Constitutional Court has also listened to all the debates that have arisen in public, ranging from the politicization of social assistance to the deployment of security forces for the victory of certain pairs.

"Yes, we move on-lah, how best to reduce, restore trust in one another. Hopefully we'll embrace each other after this. "Don't stay tense," said Jimly.

Jimly admitted that one of the things discussed with Megawati Soekarnoputri was about the ethics of nationhood and statehood. It was also mentioned about community figures who have started to become angry about dynastic politics.

Also read: Dynastic Political Practices that are Common in Indonesia

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

The atmosphere during the hearing of the Dispute on the General Election Results, which was attended by witnesses from the Election Organizer Honorary Council, at the Constitutional Court in Jakarta on Friday (5/4/2024).

For this reason, he hopes that after this election, all parties will be able to utilize its momentum to improve the ethics of living as a nation in the future. The Constitutional Court's decision also becomes a momentum to restore that.

"The ethics of living as a nation is the current momentum, while we entrust the short-term solutions to the Constitutional Court. However, after that, the problem is not yet solved. We must fix this country's issues in terms of ethics and institutional modernization," said Jimly.