JK Rejects Postponement Of 2024 Election: If You Don't Obey The Constitution, This Country Will Be Noisy

President Jokowi with Jusuf Kalla/DOK BETWEEN HO Press Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat/Rusman

MAKASSAR - Former Vice President, HM Jusuf Kalla, said that delaying the holding of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential General Election and the Legislative Election which had been set for February 14, 2024, was a violation of the constitution.

"That (postponing the election) is not in accordance with the constitution," said JK, responding to the political discourse, quoted by Antara, Friday, March 4.

The former chairman of the Golkar Party DPP emphasized that there are rules in the constitution that must be obeyed in carrying out the democratic process, one of which is holding elections every five years.

"We have a constitution, we obey the constitution. That's all. If you want to extend it, you must obey the constitution unless the constitution is changed," continued JK.

In addition, the postponement of the election proposed by political party elitists for the next one or two years, of course, not everyone agrees with the discourse. "Khan largely disagrees," he said.

JK argues, in historical records, the Indonesian nation has a long experience of democracy to the point of conflict. However, everything is still running safely and can be controlled. Obeying the constitution is a more appropriate effort. "We have too many conflicts. We obey the constitution. That's all," he said.

Previously, JK reminded that the 1945 Constitution had mandated that elections be held every five years. He is worried that the discourse of postponing the election will lead to problems, because there are allegations that other parties want to use it for their own interests.

"The constitution is every five years. If you don't obey the constitution, this country will be noisy," he said.

The discourse on the postponement of the 2024 General Election emerged after the announcement of the KPU's schedule determination. The proposal to postpone the election was made by the deputy chairman of the DPR as well as the general chairman of the DPP of the National Awakening Party, Muhaimin Iskandar.

This suggestion was also responded to by the leadership of other political parties such as the General Chairperson of the Golkar Party DPP, Airlangga Hartarto, and the General Chairperson of the National Mandate Party's DPP, Zulkifli Hasan. However, many parties do not agree about the postponement.