President Is Also Human, So Election Neutrality Is Impossible

President Joko Widodo is considered difficult to be neutral in the 2024 General Election, where his eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is one of the participants in the presidential election. (Solo City Government Public Relations)

JAKARTA The political dynasium and neutrality of the state apparatus are still hot issues that are widely discussed ahead of the 2024 General Election. The big question at this time is whether the 2024 General Election will take place neutrally when a child from the authorities participates in fighting in it?

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) received a lot of criticism towards the end of his leadership. The positive image that Jokowi built at the beginning of the period disappeared because he was considered to have consumed his power or abused his power.

The decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) last October was said to be one of the most controversial decisions that occurred in the Jokowi administration era.

The Constitutional Court granted the lawsuit of a student from Surakarta, Almas Tsaqibirru, regarding the age limit for presidential and vice presidential candidates. Through a decision read out on October 16, 2023, the Constitutional Court said that a person can run for a presidential and vice presidential candidate with a minimum age of 40 years or has been / is currently in the position elected through general elections including regional head elections.

It is not difficult for the public to conclude that the Constitutional Court's decision is the way to perpetuate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi's eldest son, running in the 2024 presidential election.

Previously, Gibran's candidacy was hit by Article 169 letter q of the Election Law, which stated that the presidential and vice presidential candidates must be at least 40 years old. The addition of the sentence moderate or once answered the regional head even though he was not yet 40 years old' became a red carpet for Gibran.

The 36-year-old man is currently serving as Mayor of Surakarta, the position he earned after winning the 2020 Surakarta Pilkada. As expected, Gibran was finally proposed by Prabowo Subianto to accompany him in the 2024 presidential election.

Before Gibran was posted as Vice President Prabowo Subianto, Jokowi Bobby Nasution's son-in-law had already occupied the position of Mayor of Medan. Kaesang Pangarep also suddenly entered politics this year and immediately occupied the position of Chairman of PSI. Not to mention Jokowi's brother-in-law, Anwar Usman, who became chairman of the Constitutional Court before finally stepping down after being declared a serious ethical violation by the Constitutional Court Honorary Council.

Rows of Jokowi's families occupying a number of strategic positions are claimed to be an effort to build a political dynasty.

Political dynasties, according to some circles, are actually nothing new. One example of a political dynasty is how the Kennedy and Bush clans rule in the United States.

The Kennedy clan is one of the most popular examples of political dynasties in the United States, even the world. More than half a century of this dynasty occupies an important position in government. Meanwhile, the Bush dynasty has placed two members of its family as President of the United States: George HW Bush, who occupied the White House between 1988 and 1992 and his son George W. Bush who became the 43rd president.

But what is the difference between the political dynasty in the Bush and Jokowi era is that Jokowi's family was busy occupying crucial positions when he was still the number one person in Indonesia.

"Obviously W. Bush became president when Bush was senior was no longer president, not in power. This is to avoid public suspicion, avoid conflicts of interest," said constitutional law observer Feri Amsari at the Evaluation of the Jokowi Government and the National Police Netrality in the Political Situation of the Dynasty which was held online, Monday (11/12/2023).

The next question is, will President Jokowi be able to be neutral when the 2024 General Election is held on February 14th? His position as RI 1 makes people doubt the neutrality of the former Governor of DKI Jakarta.

Feri Amsari said it was impossible for the president to be neutral, because the president was also an ordinary human being. Plus, Indonesia adheres to a presidential government system, where power is in the hands of the president. Jokowi, as president, according to Feri has extraordinary branches of power.

The 'Godaan to specialize in family, especially children, is a very natural and almost unavoidable temptation,' explained Feri.

Jokowi's neutrality was tested even before the election campaign began on 28 November. The case of the decline in the billboards of the presidential candidate pair against Gibran in a number of areas is considered as a form of intimidation and Jokowi's neutrality in elections.

Recently, Gibran was also considered to have committed violations during the campaign by distributing milk at the momentcar free day (CFD) at the HI Roundabout on December 3. In terms of regulations, the CFD area must be sterile from campaign activities or activities, in accordance with Article 7 of the Regulation of the Governor of DKI Jakarta Number 12 of 2016 concerning the Implementation of Motor Vehicle Free Day.

Instead of giving a warning, the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) and the Acting Governor of Jakarta Heru Budi even threw responsibilities at each other. Feri Amsari said that the absence of a warning to Gibran was also a form of neutrality in the election.

"How can the police or Bawaslu reprimand Gibran? There has been no significant warning from the distribution of milk so far. The election's az that the election took place honestly and fairly is difficult to enforce," Feri explained.

Meanwhile, Yayan Hidayat as Executive Director of The Strategic Seaarch and Consulting said the emergence of political dynasties made the election's hopes for neutralness even more difficult to materialize.

"Every phenomenon of political dynasties must have a centralization of power. Countries that are carried away in political dynasties are difficult to show democracy," Yayan explained.

Yayan regretted the seeds of political dynasties shown by the Jokowi clan. According to him, democratic values are threatened with being lost with the presence of a new political dynasty in the hands of the Jokowi family. For this reason, he expects civil society to work together to fight absolute forces.

One of the most important things is to strengthen the involvement of citizens and civil society. When power is absolute, it is the civil society's strength that is able to fight it, "said Yayan ending.