Lupa Kata Sandi? Klik di Sini

atau Masuk melalui

Belum Memiliki Akun Daftar di Sini


atau Daftar melalui

Sudah Memiliki Akun Masuk di Sini

Konfirmasi Email

Kami telah mengirimkan link aktivasi melalui email ke rudihamdani@gmail.com.

Klik link aktivasi dan dapatkan akses membaca 2 artikel gratis non Laput di koran dan Majalah Tempo

Jika Anda tidak menerima email,
Kirimkan Lagi Sekarang

Ahok's Dilemma  

Translator

Editor

16 June 2016 17:02 WIB

Jakarta Governor Basuki `Ahok` Tjahaja Purnama. TEMPO/Larissa

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - In the run-up to next year's gubernatorial election, which will determine the political future of Basuki-better known as Ahok-the Jakarta governor will need to make a decision: to run as an independent with the support of one million voters, as constitutionally required, or to run as the nominee of a political party. Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has opened the door for Ahok to join her party. The governor also had meetings with Setya Novanto, the newly elected Golkar party chairman. 

Two years after leaving Gerindra-the party that nominated him to compete as Joko Widodo's running mate in the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election-Ahok no longer regards himself as a 'party subordinate'. His decision to leave the party won him widespread praise. 

People who are unhappy with political parties see hope in Ahok, especially as he not only left the parties behind, but also opposed the local legislature (DPRD) whose members, in his view, were corrupt political party members. Ahok blew the whistle on the budget machinations in Jakarta. His relationship with the DPRD became tense, unsurprisingly. But the polls found that Ahok's popularity rose as a result of this clash.

Ahok's plan to take the independent route has been generally welcomed. His supporters eventually established 'Friends of Ahok', an organization of volunteers whose goal is to gather the signatures needed for Ahok to run as an independent. In only three months, they have obtained almost one million copies of ID cards-more than the total required by the General Elections Commission (KPU), and more than the number of votes garnered by all the parties, except the PDI-P, in the last Jakarta legislative election. The current local and regional election law, which allows independent candidates to run in elections, is an amendment of the previous regulation, which gave the parties a monopoly on nominating their candidates.

The principle behind this movement is that any citizen who is not a member of any political party should have the same constitutional rights as party members, because increasingly, political parties no longer seem to represent the voice of the people. Thanks to a number of corruption and nepotism cases, the parties are seen more as representatives of the oligarchs than of the public.

PDI-P and Golkar have signaled their readiness to nominate Ahok, and having been in office for the past two years, he is well aware for the need to have political protection when he faces the legislature on sensitive issues. 

One of them is the Jakarta Bay reclamation project. In exchange for agreeing to the project, Ahok received contributions-in the form of several projects in the capital city-although the regulation covering such funding were not approved by the DPRD. And although there is no evidence that any money went into the governor's pockets, this down-payment type of practice contradicts the principles of good governance-something that Ahok should be upholding. 

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has detained Jakarta legislator Sanusi and developer Ariesman Widjaja over a bribery case involving the reclamation project. The KPK is investigating the possibility that the governor may have also been involved.

Ahok should not waver. It is true that the independent route will only give him a ticket to the election, not the political 'protection' against attacks from the legislature over the reclamation and other issues. It would be most unfortunate if Ahok relied totally on political parties to protect him from the KPK.

Ahok has nothing to fear from the legislators. He has clashed with the DPRD on many occasions before and emerged victorious. If he is certain he has done nothing wrong, there is no need for Ahok to be concerned about the KPK. (*)

Read the full story in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine



Many Brokers in Indonesian Politics

6 jam lalu

Many Brokers in Indonesian Politics

Parties supporting Prabowo Subianto are vying for ministerial posts. There is a wish to see the PDI-P join the coalition.


Election Fraud in a Neighboring Country

1 hari lalu

Election Fraud in a Neighboring Country

Seven members of the Kuala Lumpur PPLN are proven to have inflated the number of voters for the 2024 elections.


Because the State Is Not an Entrepreneur

2 hari lalu

Because the State Is Not an Entrepreneur

The government plans to accelerate the privatization of state-owned enterprises. Stop paying out budget funds for state companies.


Ignoring the Rights of Indigenous People

3 hari lalu

Ignoring the Rights of Indigenous People

Indigenous people are taking legal action against the President and the DPR for delaying deliberations of a bill. It has taken second place to the int


BTN Syariah's Acquisition of Bank Muamalat

7 hari lalu

BTN Syariah's Acquisition of Bank Muamalat

The government is to combine BTN's Sharia business unit with Bank Muamalat. This could lead to problems.


Lackadaisical Disaster Mitigation

8 hari lalu

Lackadaisical Disaster Mitigation

Hydrometeorological disasters hit a number of areas in Indonesia. Ironically, mitigation efforts are not yet a priority.


Child Pornography Syndicate in Indonesia

9 hari lalu

Child Pornography Syndicate in Indonesia

The crime of child pornography is continuing to spread. Perpetrators can operate from inside the jail.


Jokowi's Hand in the Golkar Party

10 hari lalu

Jokowi's Hand in the Golkar Party

Jokowi has ambitions to take control of the Golkar Party. It is his new way to stay relevant to those in power.


The Backers of Illegal Tin Mining

13 hari lalu

The Backers of Illegal Tin Mining

The Attorney General's Office is investigating alleged corruption over tin mining permits in Bangka Belitung.


The Importance of the Right of Inquiry

14 hari lalu

The Importance of the Right of Inquiry

Jokowi is taking Indonesia right back to the start of the Reformasi era. The right of inquiry could be a way to save democracy.