TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Newly-inaugurated President Joko Widodo must take advantage of the current momentum. The public is elated for his win in the electoral race, and political tension has begun to dissipate after his meeting with former contender, Prabowo Subianto. Jokowi needs seize this opportunity to reign in more support for his political agenda.
Jokowi needs solid political backing if he were to realize his policies. Should he fail to convince his cabinet to cooperate, he needs to be able to negotiate with Prabowo's camp, or even Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s allies. This is especially necessary in light of the biggest challenge that his administration faces - that is, to increase the prices of subsidized fuel in order to reduce the mounting pressure on the State Budget (APBN). Without the Parliament (DPR) on his side, President Jokowi will face a hard time in appeasing those who would be hardest-hit if fuel prices were to rise - those who live below the poverty line.
With Jokowi's approachable and flexible style, establishing communications with his political rivals should not be a difficult matter. He did not hesitate to pay Prabowo a visit during Prabowo's birthday celebration at his private residence - which culminated in the Chairman of the Great Indonesia Party (GERINDRA) congratulating Jokowi for his win for the first time since the election results were announced. Prior to that, Jokowi went ahead and visited Aburizal Bakrie, the Chairman of Golkar Party. As a result, the tension on the political landscape cooled significantly, and businesses reaped significant benefit from the decreasing tension.
There are lessons to be learnt from Jokowi's camp consecutive losses in taking control of strategic positions at the DPR and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), as well as his coalition's failure in blocking the Indirect Election Bill from being passed by the DPR - that is, he cannot rely solely on the support of his own coalition.
Similarly, he should not look back onto PDI-P’s Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri for guidance, for her frosty and stiff demeanor has often stirred conundrums. It was her decision to ice-out Yudhoyono out of grudge that costed Jokowi the support of the Democrat Party - fragmenting the political coalition map even further.
Jokowi needs play his cards right. Relying on the support of a few political parties is a risky strategy to take - in fact, he needs to adhere to the spirit of 'mutual cooperation', which he repeatedly uttered in his inaugural speech in front of the MPR. Uniting the political spectrum is not an impossible feat, for Yudhoyono had previously done so and as a result, he managed to hold on to the Presidential seat for two consecutive terms.
Furthermore, the role of public support cannot be relegated to the backseat. Jokowi needs to form a cabinet that is united, transparent, and is able to deliver his programs which eventually won him the electoral race. The lack of a competent cabinet will not only open up Jokowi to public criticism, as it may turn the tide against him completely.
Now is the time when his flexibility is needed the most - Jokowi needs to be able to satiate the public, as well as satisfy the demands of political parties. Flexibility is required for him to be able to kill two birds with one stone - that is, to muster enough political backing for him to impose a contra-populist policy, such as raising the price of fuels. (*)
