TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A number of experts believe President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has only focused on economic growth in his second term in office. Indikator Politik Indonesia director Burhanuddin Muhtadi on Thursday said there are a number of issues that are put aside because of this economy-centric mindset.

He explained that the government did not focus on many social aspects such as corruption and human rights issues.

“This is clearly visible on how fast the KPK Bill and Omnibus Law were deliberated. Just from these examples, it is clear to see that the economy is the government’s main focus,” said Muhtadi on January 13.

He added that the country has gone through a democratic decline which he said is evident in the Parliament, that has started to stand in parallel with the government instead of taking the role as a balancer in policymaking.

“Despite the many political parties that have made it to parliament, there only remain two oppositions,” said Burhanuddin.

Echoing Burhanuddin, an expert on constitutional law Bivitri Susanti said the government’s lack of awareness on human rights enforcement and eradication of corruption is evident. Susanti added that people’s rights have been curbed for the name of the pandemic.

"We'll see how the repression of the authorities during demonstrations against the Omnibus Law and the KPK Law on the grounds of health protocols, but on the other hand, they are given impunity for violating the health protocol during a pandemic," said Susanti.

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MIRZA BAGASKARA