Jokowi Says President May Campaign And Take Sides, Anies: We Leave Legal Rules

Anies Baswedan will arrive at Notohadinegoro Airport in Jember on Saturday (6/5/2023) afternoon. (ANTARA/HO-FB Anies Baswedan)

Presidential candidate number 1, Anies Baswedan, responded to President Joko Widodo's statement that he was allowed to campaign and could side with one of the election participants. Anies did not want to judge Jokowi's statement. He only left it to the public whether Jokowi's claims regarding the president could take sides and campaign against the rules or not. "We leave it to the rule of law, according to the legal rules. This is not taste, I agree or disagree. How are the legal rules? Because we want this country to be a state of law," said Anies in Yogyakarta, Wednesday, January 24. The former governor of DKI Jakarta asked constitutional law experts to express his opinion on the statement of Gibran Rakabuming Raka's father, the candidate for vice president number 2. "If the rule of law says it's not allowed, it means it's not allowed, if the rule of law says it's okay, then it's okay," said Anies. However, Anies admitted that Jokowi's statement regarding partiality was not in line with his instructions to state officials who had to be neutral. "Previously what we heard was neutral, protecting everything, facilitating everything. So we leave it to the Indonesian people to digest and assess," he added. Previously, Jokowi emphasized that everyone has political and democratic rights, including ministers. In fact, Jokowi said that a president may take sides and campaign. “ The right to democracy, the political rights of each minister are the same. The important thing is that the president may campaign. The president may take sides. Yes,” said on Halim Perdanakusuma Airbase, East Jakarta. Jokowi said that as a public official, he and the ministers could do politics. But, what must be remembered, state facilities should not be used other than for their work. "But the most important thing is that during campaign time you can't use state facilities," he said.

“ We are public officials as well as political officials. You can't do this, you can't do politics, you can't. The minister is also allowed, ” Jokowi continued. Even so, Jokowi did not explain much about the certainty of no conflict of interest if the president and ministers sided with certain pairs in the 2024 presidential election. He only said that the law only prohibits the use of state facilities. "That's all, the one who manages it can't just use state facilities. That's all," he concluded.