Mahfud MD: Indonesia Is Now A Kleptocracy Country, Wants To Suspicious Even Though It Already Has

Former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD assessed that currently the resilience of democracy and the state of law in Indonesia is weakening. Indonesia is now seen as a kleptocratic country, oligarchy, cartelization.

This was revealed by Mahfud in his inaugural 2024 lecture in the Master and Doctor Program, the Faculty of Law, Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) Yogyakarta, Saturday.

"Then came the oligarchy, a country controlled by a small group of people who have capital. Some even say that Indonesia is now a kleptocracy country, a country full of corruption, a country whose names are thieves. They want to steal even though they already have it," Mahfud said as quoted on the YouTube show. UII Faculty of Law, Sunday, September 15.

Mahfud views that recently there have been symptoms of directional reversal in law and politics. Politics tends to be authoritarian. The formation of laws and regulations seems to be unilateral.

"If (the authorities want), the law will be discussed today, this afternoon, so tomorrow it can be passed. But if the authorities don't want it, the law for years will not be discussed," explained Mahfud.

This constitutional law expert is of the view that the weakening of democracy and law in Indonesia has also resulted in the cooptas of law enforcement institutions.

"All institutions are competent, so there is relegation of the state of law," said the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK).

On the one hand, Mahfud reminded that the task of academics and the legal profession is to maintain and enforce it, as long as the state administration and constitution are still in effect.

"Professionals and law enforcers enforce professional ethics, and do not carry out collusion and manipulation," he added.