There Is No Reason To Postpone The 2024 Election, Denny JA: Extending Power Could Be A Political Scandal

President Jokowi/ANTARA HO BPMI Presidential Secretariat

JAKARTA - The discourse on the proposed postponement of the 2024 election has become polemic. The issue became a pro and contra among the political elite.

The founder of the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) Denny JA assessed that delaying the 2024 election or even extending President Jokowi's term of office did not have a strong reason.

According to him, using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to postpone the elections in 2024 is contrary to the data.

"It's clear, it's clear. The evidence shows that the COVID-19 situation in Indonesia, as well as in the world, is even safer now," said Denny JA in a written statement, Friday, March 4 evening.

According to him, the election can be postponed if there is an emergency. For example, a case like this occurred in Ukraine which was invaded by Ukraine.

According to Denny JA, the main priority of the Ukrainian population is survival. Therefore, under these conditions, it is impossible to hold elections like a normal era.

Denny JA showed data in March 2022, the number of deaths due to COVID-19 was less than 500 people per day referring to data from Worldometer.

The peak of deaths per day in Indonesia occurred in August 2021. At that time in Indonesia, about 2,000 people died per day.

Therefore, Denny JA emphasized that it was unreasonable for COVID-19 to be used as an excuse to postpone the 5-year democratic party.

Economic problems also cannot be used as an excuse to postpone the 2024 election. Denny JA quoted the Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani as saying that the Indonesian economy continues to improve.

He suspects that the politicians who initiated the issue of postponing the election have actually misled President Jokowi. History will actually blame Jokowi the most because he can be considered not doing enough to prevent his supporters from maneuvering to postpone the election.

"Because there are not enough reasons, it is better for politicians to stop their maneuvers to postpone elections, from 2024 to 2027. Extending power without sufficient reasons will go down in history as a political scandal," said Denny JA.