Analyst: Democracy Threatened Under President Jokowi's Second Term

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A political analyst at Exposit Strategic Arif Susanto in an online discussion on Tuesday said that Indonesia’s democracy is facing serious threat under the leadership of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s second administration. 

“In the past 20 years we have not faced a more serious threat toward democracy than what we are facing now,” said Arif Susanto on Tuesday, October 20, 2020.

According to Arif, the threat does not come from military strength such as the one showcased under late-president Soeharto’s administration but it is shown in the powerful ties between political parties, entrepreneurs, political elites, and the interests of oligarchs that have been “hooked into one and has become the interest of the country,” he said. 

Arif argued that President Jokowi’s extraordinary political power - which also includes his grasp onto the parliament - had conspired to easily pass a number of agendas without facing significant political obstacles. 

He claimed they are evident in the series of revisions of existing laws such as the UU KPK (law on the corruption eradication commission), UU MK (constitutional court law), UU Minerba (law on coal and mineral resources), and the latest Omnibus Law on job creation. 

“The oligarchs have become a part of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government, and have taken over the mechanism,” Arif explained. He believed that these series of events have weakened civil power and suppressed critical voices coming from oppositions.

Read: Democracy Declines after One Year of Jokowi-Ma'ruf Governance: Amnesty

DEWI NURITA