Kaleidoscope 2023, Reflection On President Jokowi's Leadership: Considered Haus Power, His Kindness Forgotten

JAKARTA President Joko Widodo or Jokowi received a negative image towards the end of his leadership period, because it was considered to justify various ways to perpetuate power.

"The power is tempting, so anyone who has ever been in power will definitely do various ways to perpetuate his power," said Yayan Hidayat, Director of The Strategic Research and Consulting.

A series of decisions by legal institutions in Indonesia ahead of the 2024 Presidential Election (Pilpres 2024) are suspected to smooth Jokowi's ambition to extend his power in the country.

Thus, the positive image built by the former Mayor of Solo became invisible due to Jokowi's ambition to give up his power.

Long before taking the seat of RI 1, Jokowi was a furniture entrepreneur in his hometown, Solo. The career of his professional organization began with being the Chair of the Indonesian Furniture and Crafts Industry Association (Asmindo) Komda Solo Raya in 2002.

Jokowi's actions in managing associations that are engaged in the timber and handicraft industry have actually paved the way for him to enter politics. Furniture entrepreneurs want Jokowi to run as one of the candidates in the 2005 Solo Pilkada. The reason is simple, they want Solo to be held by entrepreneurs, not military circles or bureaucrats.

Apparently, Jokowi was also supported by a number of community leaders to run as mayor candidates.

"People think that Pak Jokowi is a prominent person, simple, not ambitious, humble, and so on. They consider this figure to be suitable for Solo culture," said David R Wijaya, Jokowi's friend when he was a furniture entrepreneur in Solo.

Long story short, Jokowi won the Solo Pilkada with PDIP as his political vehicle. From there, Jokowi's name grew bigger. He was then elected governor of DKI Jakarta for the 2012-2017 period. However, his term of office in the capital has not yet been completed, PDIP carries the man who was born on June 21, 1961 as their presidential candidate in the 2014 election.

Although he does not have much experience in political arenas, Jokowi has militant supporters. He is considered different from the previous leaders. Jokowi is considered a figure who represents the little people, so it is believed that he will defend the interests of the people.

Jokowi won the last two elections thanks to his close image with the people.

However, the image is slowly eroding, especially this year, ahead of the presidential election which will be held on February 14, 2024.

"Initially people really believed, put their hope in Jokowi, because Jokowi seemed to really fight for the people," said Herman Jayadi, chairman of the PKC Bali Islamic Student Movement (PMII) in the webinar on the Evaluation of the Jokowi Government and the neutrality of the Police in the Dynasty Political Situation on December 11.

"But today is no longer the hope of the people, and this leaves a bad story for the people of Indonesia," he added.

The peak of public disappointment with Jokowi of course leads to the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) in mid-October 2023. At that time, the Constitutional Court granted a lawsuit regarding the age limit of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates to a minimum of 40 years or once/in the position chosen through the election.

The decision was accused of smoothing Jokowi's ambition to advance his eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to run as Vice President Prabowo Subianto. Gibran is currently 36 years old, but he has a position as Mayor of Solo.

Because of the Constitutional Court's decision, the relationship between Jokowi and his supporting party, PDIP, is heating up. Jokowi's relationship with Megawati Soekarnoputri is said to be no longer harmonious. Borrowing the term political observer Andriadi Achmad, Jokowi and PDIP's honeymoon has been completed.

When Gibran was finally officially appointed as Prabowo's Vice Presidential Candidate, the public questioned Jokowi's neutrality in the presidential election later. Especially when Hari H, Jokowi was still serving as president so that his neutrality was doubtful.

Jokowi's neutrality as the number one person in Indonesia has even seen signs from an early age. An example is when there was a decrease in billboards and banners from the presidential and vice presidential candidates Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD in Bali and several other areas some time ago.

The police were also accused of intimidating them when they visited the Solo PDIP headquarters. In addition, the Chairperson of BEM UI, Melki Sedek Huang also felt that there was intimidation against him after protesting against the Constitutional Court's decision regarding the age limit for the presidential and vice presidential candidates.

'President Jokowi is not pro to the people at the end of the era. The TNI, Polri should be the handling of elections, but instead they won the election,' said M Tarmizi, as Chairman of PMII KCP North Sumatra.

On the same occasion, Herman Jayadi regretted Jokowi's political maneuvers, which he said exacerbated the image that the President had built so far.

Herman assessed that the public had forgotten Jokowi's kindness during his tenure just because of his actions that seemed reluctant to give up power.

"Jokowi has built Indonesia, but at the end of the period he left a bad story, because Jokowi doesn't want to just give up power," said Herman.

"There are a lot of positive Jokowi successes, but it can't be seen what Jokowi is doing today," said Herman again.