The public appreciates the government’s performance in politics and security. Enhanced guarantee of civil freedoms will increase confidence in the government.
By
·4 minutes read
The public appreciates the government’s performance in politics and security. Enhanced guarantee of civil freedoms will increase confidence in the government.Pertemuan antara Pimpinan DPR, Ketua Fraksi DPR, dan Pimpinan Komisi III DPR dengan Presiden Joko Widodo di Istana Merdeka, Jakarta, Senin (23/9/2019). Pertemuan tersebut untuk membahasa sejumlah isu, salah satunya Rancangan Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana (RKUHP).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The performance of the government of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla in politics and security has received the highest public appreciation compared with other areas. This also implies the public’s expectation that the Jokowi administration will guarantee the protection of human rights and civil freedoms in the 2019-2024 term.
Guaranteeing civil freedoms will be the determinant for strengthening social capital of the 2019-2024 administration. This is because the threats to the freedom of expression and opinion that surfaced recently pose a challenge that can erode public trust and endanger democracy.
The results of a Kompas Research and Development survey on 19 Sept.- 4 Oct. 2019 that involved 1,200 respondents in 34 provinces show that the level of public satisfaction in politics and security has rebounded, compared to the results of the same survey in March 2019. In contrast, the level of satisfaction has eroded slightly in three other aspects: economics, law and society.
In the October 2019 survey, 64.3 percent of respondents expressed their satisfaction with the government’s performance in politics and security; in March 2019, 62.1 percent of respondents expressed satisfaction. However, the level of satisfaction has decreased over the five years of the outgoing administration.
Research deputy director Wajyudi Djafar of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) said on Thursday (17/10/2019) when contacted in Jakarta that the improved level of public satisfaction in the government’s politics and security performance in March-October was primarily due to reduced political tensions following the 2019 general election. The favorable conditions of the general election also gave rise to a sense of political stability and that the political rights of citizens had been fulfilled. In addition, communication from the political elite had helped reduce tensions in March-October.
Public expectations
The level of public satisfaction had increased in all political and security components in the October 2019 survey compared to the March 2019 survey. This was seen, for example, in guaranteeing freedom of expression and in the public’s opportunity to supervise and control the government. But over the level of satisfaction in these areas had relatively eroded during the five years of the administration.
According to Wahyudi, the public still expected President Jokowi to guarantee protection for civil freedoms and human rights in his next five-year term, in line with his campaign promises in 2014 and 2019. Moreover, the last five years had seen issues that affected the guarantee of civil freedoms, including identity politics and hate speech that targeted tribal affiliations, religion, race and societal groups (SARA).
“It must be ensured that in his second term, President Jokowi will guarantee the continuity of the democratization that has occurred over the last 20 years,” said Wahyudi.
In the same vein, the head of Padjadjaran University’s Political and Security Studies Center, Muradi, noted several points that required the attention of the 2029-2024 administration. First was to manage separatist and armed groups in Papua, preceded by a lenient, humanitarian approach.
Second was the issue of disruptions to civil freedoms. For example, as a result of the deliberations of the Criminal Code Bill (RKUHP), which were deemed hastily concluded before the 2014-2019 session of the House of Representatives ended, the public had deemed the state was intruding on the private affairs of its citizens.
Strong social capital
The party coalition backing Jokowi is convinced that the President’s social capital will remain strong throughout his second term. Politician Charles Honoris of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said that apart from the recent dynamics, the level of public satisfaction had stayed above 50 percent, indicating that the public continued to be satisfied with the government’s positive performance. This was sufficient social capital for Jokowi to start his second term.
In the meantime, politician Irma Suryani Chaniago of the Nasdem Party said that amid the many recent upheavals, the government had still upheld the basic principles of democracy, such as providing space to the public to voice their opinions in a responsible manner.
“Public trust in Pak Jokowi is fine. It will also be fine in the future. The government has even permitted the many protests to guarantee freedom of expression for civil society,” Irma added. (AGE/SAN/MTK)