By : Efryllian Alvin )*
President Joko Widodo has reiterated that he is reluctant to continue his leadership for three terms and does not want constitutional amendments to occur. The public appreciates this firmness which shows the nature of statesmanship who always obeys the constitution.
The issue of the three-term presidential term has been heating up again lately. Whereas on various occasions, President Joko Widodo himself has emphatically denied and admitted that he was not at all interested in continuing to lead for 3 terms. Finally, on April 10, 2024 at the Bogor Palace, West Java. President Jokowi said that simultaneous elections for the presidential and legislative elections will still be held on February 14, 2024. This statement also dispels wild speculation that the Government is planning to postpone the election or extend the term of office.
Jokowi has repeatedly stated the refusal to extend the President’s term of office. The first moment when President Jokowi conveyed his assertiveness was in 2019. At that time, he firmly said that if anyone wanted to propose an extension of the presidential term, it would mean they were looking for a face and slapping him in the face.
Then President Jokowi made a similar statement again in March 2021. At that time, there were parties who stated that there would be a scenario where the president would be extended to 3 terms. Responding to the issue, President Jokowi immediately stated firmly that he was fully compliant with the constitution which has regulated and mandated the presidential term of office for a maximum of 2 terms.
In fact, in June 2021 there was also a movement that claimed to be from a Pro-Jokowi volunteer and encouraged him to continue leadership for up to 3 terms. Responding to encouragement from his own supporters, President Jokowi again insisted in principle that he had absolutely no interest in continuing his term in office. In addition, President Jokowi added that there were many candidates to replace him who were much younger.
Lately, it turns out that the issue of the 3rd term president has been discussed again, even though President Jokowi has repeatedly denied it firmly. The issue began when there were several political elites who discussed postponing the election. There are names such as Airlangga Hartarto, Muhaimin Iskandar and also Zulkifli Hasan who argue that the postponement of the election is carried out on the basis of the national interest, namely so that the economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic can run well first.
The firmness and loudness of the attitude that has been spoken by President Joko Widodo deserve our greatest appreciation. The reason is that he as the head of the state executive agency directly shows how to become an executive who obeys the state constitution. President Jokowi in several statements admitted that there was absolutely no need to amend the constitution.
He is a leader who is very loyal and also steadfast in the 1945 Constitution. In addition, he is a person who continues to echo the spirit of reform. So far, the fighters have been fighting for reforms since 1998 with great enthusiasm. We also have to take care of it, lest the sweat, tears and blood of the reform fighters be stained with various issues that are actually less important to be discussed.
Instead of continuing to discuss the 3-period issue which has also been firmly denied by the person concerned, it would be better if we try to shift our focus to discussing how to accelerate economic development after the pandemic. In addition, if the discussion on this issue continues, it is not impossible that it will cause division in society.
President Joko Widodo’s firm stance has also been directly responded by the party that carries him, namely the PDI-Perjuangan. Instead, the party rejected the postponement of the 2024 General Election which was later appreciated by the Executive Director of Indonesia Political Review, Ujang Komarudin. He admitted that he saluted the consistency and firm attitude of the party that carries President Jokowi. For him, this kind of attitude should be owned and imitated by other political parties because they continue to maintain democracy and the state constitution.
The conundrum of extending the current presidential term is over. All parties are expected to immediately end the polemic and maintain a conducive situation, considering that currently is the holy month of Ramadan which must be filled with many positive activities.
)* The author is a contributor to the Nusa Bangsa Institute