MPR Pretend To Review Amendments To GBHN Even Though They Want To Change The Term Of Office Of The President

MPR Building (Intermediate dock)

JAKARTA - Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Constitutional Law Expert Zainal Arifin Mochtar criticized the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) discourse to review the 1945 Constitution Amendment. The MPR plans to revive the Guidelines of State Policy (GBHN).

"Recently, the MPR has been diligently returning to make studies on changes to the Constitution. Although yes, as I said before, it used to be pretending with the GBHN amendment but at the end it was a change in the term of office (president)," he said in a virtual discussion, Thursday, March 11.

As is well known, the issue of the discourse on extending the presidential term to three terms has returned to the public. The discourse that surfaced several months ago was busy being discussed, including by various figures.

Zainal considered that the takeover of the Democrat Party from the leadership of Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) was to smooth the plan for the three-term leadership of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

"I see the takeover of the Democrats could be to smooth it (3 terms of presidential term) because with the takeover, he needs to control all the power of the party, right," said the researcher at the Center for Anti-Corruption Studies, Faculty of Law, Gadjah Mada University (Pukat FH UGM).

Furthermore, Zainal admitted that he was worried if the discourse to change the presidential term would actually materialize. Because, he said, Indonesia has problems with the presidential government system.

"I departed from caution because we have problems in the presidential system itself, we have a basic problem, namely the problem where authoritarian possibilities are greatly facilitated. Even though with two periods it is very possible, because it is associated with high party support patterns. I think the symptoms will be stronger, "he said.