By: Joanna Alexandra Putri )*
All elements of society must be able to continue to increase their awareness of the possibility of hidden politicking behind the raising of the issue of postponing the 2024 General Election which continues to be circulated to the public.
In fact, holding the General Election (Election) democracy party in 2024 is indeed an agenda that must be carried out by the Indonesian people. How could it not be, the article is that by carrying out the agenda according to a predetermined schedule, it is also a form of means of legitimizing power in the country.
It is undeniable that in fact the election itself has the aim of being able to produce a leadership that is truly desired by all Indonesian people because they are the ones who directly elect the candidate leaders who will lead in the future.
So that people can filter themselves about whether the candidate for the leader they want to choose is suitable and really fighting for the people, what kind of vision and mission they are promoting and also what work program offers will be carried out later when leading.
It is clear that by holding elections, it is also the same as continuing to maintain the democratic climate that runs in Indonesia because this nation is known as one of the countries that adheres to a democratic system of government. So that the circulation of the replacement of leaders is in accordance with the will of the people, not being monopolized by certain elite groups or groups.
However, it turns out that currently in Indonesia there have been several times where there has been an issue of postponing the democratic party for the upcoming 2024 general election, which then caused polemics in society and became an issue of quite heated discussion in the public.
Recently, namely on Thursday, March 2 2023, the panel of judges at the Central Jakarta District Court (Jakpus) granted the lawsuit filed by the Prima Party against the election organizers, namely the General Election Commission of the Republic of Indonesia (KPU RI). The lawsuit stated that the KPU did not carry out the remaining stages of the 2024 election and carried out the election stages from the beginning for approximately 2 years 4 months 7 days.
When viewed from a juridical perspective, of course the attempt to postpone the election itself can very clearly be said to be an attempt to betray the constitution. How could it not be, the article is that if the holding of the General Election is postponed, then the terms of office of the elites and the government, including the President and Vice President will automatically increase.
In fact, it is also clear that the addition of the term of office is very contrary to the constitution, which has been stated in Article 7 of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia which states that the President and Vice President only have a maximum term of office of 5 (five) years only, and can be re-elected in the same position for one more term, or can lead for a maximum of 2 (two) terms only.
Assessing the many polemics regarding the issue of postponing the election, Chancellor of Widya Mataram University (UWM), Prof. Edy Suandi Hamid stated that the idea of postponing the elections had to be shunned and avoided by all elements of Indonesian society. According to him, the issue of postponing the 2024 Election has absolutely no clear urgency.
It’s not just that there is no clear urgency, but if it turns out that efforts to postpone the 2024 elections continue, then of course it can trigger national instability and cause controversy among various parties which can actually disrupt the national economy.
In addition, the 2024 election itself is an event in the context of carrying out a leadership relay at various levels, from the executive to the legislature, for the birth of new policies that can continue to support the growth and development of this nation. Moreover, if there is an extension of the term of office of the President and Vice President it has clearly violated the constitutional mandate.
If it turns out that the issue of postponing the 2024 Election is still being echoed and even actually materializing, then that means that Indonesia will repeat its bad memories that happened in the past before reforms, which in fact none of the parties wanted this to happen. it was repeated.
For this reason, the implementation of the 2024 election is something that is really needed by all elements of society in Indonesia because it functions to ensure the continued legitimacy of state administrators through a democratic process.
The issue of postponing the 2024 Election which continues to be echoed and continues to become a heated discourse in the public, may also be a covert form of politicization carried out by a number of parties so that they can advance their goals for the sake of their own personal and group interests. Therefore, vigilance must continue to be increased, lest the spirit of democracy in the country be damaged due to the actions of certain irresponsible parties.
)* The author is a contributor to Jeka Media Institute
