JAKARTA - The discourse on amendments to the 1945 Constitution that was rolled out in the MPR was accompanied by the issue of extending the presidential term of office to three terms. There are parties who say that people in the circle of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) are suspected of devising a scenario in order to smooth out the discourse on the extension of the position on the grounds of critical conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, a source from Tempo Magazine's June 19, 2021 edition revealed that people in President Jokowi's circle are suspected of preparing two scenarios so that the discourse on a three-term presidential term can be realized. The first scenario is to open the opportunity for a third period of five years through general elections.
Then the second, extending the term of office of the president to a maximum of three years. The extension was also accompanied by additional terms of office for members of the DPR and DPD. But the two scenarios still require amendments to the 1945 Constitution. This change needs to be proposed at least one third of the total members of the MPR or 237 of the 711 members of the DPR and DPD.
The news about the extension of the term of office of the president and the legislators actually reached the ears of the Deputy Chairperson of the MPR, Sjariffudin Hasan. "This is the informal conversation that sounds like that," Sjariffudin told VOI.
According to two Tempo Magazine sources who are familiar with the three-term scenario, they said that later there would be two changes in the constitution. The changes include inserting a paragraph on the extension of the term of office in an emergency and adding the authority of the MPR to determine the extension of the term of office and the vice president in an emergency. The state of emergency referred to as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hearing news of such a scenario, Sjariffudin said his attitude was firm: he did not agree. "And there was also no discussion in that direction at the MPR. There was no discussion about that," he said.
Sjariffudin said, at the MPR there was only a discussion regarding the Main Principles of State Policy (PPHN). He also said that the discussion still needed further study. "There is only discussion of PPHN. Even then, it has just been studied, studied, not yet decided, then it will be deepened."
Regarding the emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is said to be the reason for the president's three-term term, Sjariffudin said it didn't make sense. He said Indonesia was not currently in a state of emergency. He even compared the United States to still holding the presidential election during the pandemic last year.
"It doesn't make sense. Whatever the reason, there is no emergency. How about an emergency? Indonesians are not in an emergency. America was still holding the presidential election yesterday during the pandemic. There is no reason to postpone the presidential election," said Sjariffudin.
Political observer at Al Azhar University Indonesia, Ujang Komarudin, assessed that making the COVID-19 pandemic emergency as an argument for a three-term presidential term was inappropriate. Ujang said the argument was just a justification from the elite.
"It's not right and doesn't fit the argument. That's justification from the elite," said Ujang when contacted by VOI.
Ujang said that the COVID-19 emergency could not be the reason for the presidential term of office for three terms because in other countries there was also no such reason to extend the presidential term. "There is no reason for the COVID-19 emergency to extend the term of office of the president."
Even in other countries, said Ujang, there are prime ministers who are willing to resign because of the COVID-19 emergency. "Many ministers have resigned because of the Covid emergency."
So why is the COVID-19 emergency in Indonesia an excuse to extend the term of office of the president? "In Indonesia, why do you want to increase the term of office of the president," said Ujang.
Meanwhile, the Head of the DPD PPHN Working Team, Jimly Asshiddiqie, is of the view that an extension of the term of office cannot be carried out because the constitutional mandate requires elections to be held in 2024. "Surely it can't be because there is no relationship between the pandemic and the presidential term of office, the holding of the election has nothing to do with it. And it is impossible for a pandemic to be used as an excuse to change the election," Jimly was quoted as saying by Kumparan.
"So if there are policies that are made to deviate from normal rules, it's only to overcome the effects of the pandemic and ensure health and recover after the pandemic. If the election has nothing to do with it, it has nothing to do with it," explained Jimly.
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