JAKARTA - Law and political observer Pieter C. Zulkifli considers that the allegation of the authenticity of the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo's diploma is not just an ordinary issue, but part of a structured political maneuver and has the potential to damage the foundations of democracy.
According to Pieter, the accusations have been repeatedly denied by the state's official institutions. However, similar narratives continue to emerge and are driven by personal political agendas.
"If the country continues to ignore it, then we will witness the gradual omission of legal and political degradation," Pieter said in a written statement, Antara, Monday, May 19.
He considered the accusation as a form of manipulation of democracy aimed at delegitizing state institutions. Pieter emphasized that democracy should not be sacrificed in the interests of a handful of parties looking for a political stage.
"This commotion can no longer be seen as part of a healthy criticism. This is an old political pattern that undermines public trust in state institutions," he said.
According to him, the spread of fake diploma issues is more of a form of combining issues for personal political interests, not social control.
"We are reminded by Nelson Mandela that criminals have never built a country. They only enrich themselves while destroying the country," Pieter said.
He also reminded that freedom in democracy must be accompanied by responsibility. The state, according to Pieter, has a constitutional mandate to ensure that public spaces are free from hoaxes and slander.
"If baseless accusations are constantly maintained, then it is not only a President who is attacked, but the integrity of democracy itself is threatened," he said.
Pieter emphasized that public trust is a pillar in the democratic system. Without confidence, the country risks experiencing a long-term legitimacy crisis due to a systematic narrative of lies.
"And when that trust collapses, what follows is a much more difficult social and political instability to recover," he added.
Lebih lanjut, Pieter menyarankan agar Presiden terpilih Prabowo Subianto bersikap terhadap maraknya isu yang dinilai fitnah tersebut. Ia menilai Prabowo memiliki tanggung jawab moral dan politik untuk menjaga awawan institusi negara.
"As a leader of the future, Prabowo needs to ensure democracy is not littered by shallow political play," he said.
SEE ALSO:
He also asked law enforcement officials to be firm and not be influenced by social media opinions or political pressure. "The law must be enforced fairly and consistently," said Pieter.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
