Mahfud MD: People Are Free To Choose Leaders, Cannot Be Intimidated

Vice Presidential Candidate number 3, Mahfud MD, after the inaugural debate of the presidential candidate in front of the KPU Office, Tuesday, December 12. (Rizky A-VOI)

JAKARTA - Prospective vice president (cawapres) number 3, Mahfud MD said the public has the right to their aspirations freely in choosing their leaders. "The public has the right to freely propose their choice or aspiration should not be pressured and intimidated because anyone has the right to determine their leader's choice," he said after filling the national seminar at the Faculty University, Serang, Banten, Wednesday. Mahfud also conveyed that regarding Indonesia Gold 2045 from a political and legal perspective, it is hoped that it will truly become an independent, united, sovereign state, and in it is fair and prosperous. "Right now we are independent. However, our independence is still being violated by political behavior and geopoliticals in the world," said Mahfud, who is also the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopulhukam). He said, in the future Indonesia must be able to determine its position in the world arena. Indonesia 2045 must be without poor people, there must be no unemployment, no high school graduates. entirely enter university. "In 2045, Indonesia will become the fourth largest country in the world after China, India and America," he said.

Prasyarat menuju itu, kata Mahfud yakni dengan demokrasi dan hukum yang baik. Demokrasi ditandai oleh pemilu secara periodik. Pemilu memberi kesempatan kepada rakyat menilai dan memvonis pemimpinnya.Ia menyampaikan, di zaman reformasi ini, sudah ada instrumen hukum pemilu yang lebih adil. Penyelenggara pemilu seperti KPU, Bawaslu, kini independen dipilih DPR."Sehingga kalau ada kecurangan, lebih banyak dilakukan kontestan. Ya memang masih ada sih orang ndablek, bukan kontestan, ikut-ikutan merepsesi," tuturnya.Mahfud juga berpesan agar masyarakat dapat memilih calon pemimpin secara selektif, terutama tidak terbawa arus atau euforia sesaat. Dia juga meminta seluruh komunitas akademik ikut mengambil peran aktif dalam kesuksesan penyelenggaraan Pemilu 2024.