Don't Push Jokowi To Become President For Three Terms

President Jokowi when confirming that he does not want to serve as president for 3 terms (Presidential Secretariat Youtube)

JAKARTA - The general chairman of Arus Bawah Jokowi (ABJ) Michael Umbas invited all parties not to push Joko Widodo to serve as president for three terms.

Michael Umbas conveyed his invitation because a number of groups encouraged Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to return to office for the third time.

Umbas emphasized that based on Article 7 of the 1945 Constitution, the president and vice president (wapres) hold office for five years and can be re-elected for one term. Thus, he said the president and vice president can serve a maximum of 10 years in two terms.

Umbas hopes that the parties who proposed Jokowi to return to the presidency will understand the constitution. According to him, Jokowi, as head of state and government, respects the constitution.

“Pak Jokowi really respects the constitution. He chose to focus on working in the second period, especially in the conditions facing the COVID-19 pandemic which was quite worrying lately. So come on, don't waste your energy pushing him for three periods," Umbas said, quoted by Antara, Sunday, June 20.

Umbas said the discourse of increasing the presidential term to three terms was highly irrelevant in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Umbas, all parties should work hand in hand in suppressing the spread of COVID-19.

According to Umbas, if Jokowi really intends to run for the 2024 presidential and vice presidential elections, the MPR will immediately convene to amend the 1945 Constitution.

The facts on the ground, said Umbas, are that the factions in the MPR have said they will not change the provisions of Article 7 of the 1945 Constitution regarding the limitation of the presidential term of office to only two terms.

Umbas was once trusted to be the chairman of the Jokowi Volunteer National Gathering Committee (Silatnas) in 2016. The Silatnas which was attended directly by Jokowi, at that time, was the first time that all volunteers launched the "Two Periods Jokowi" movement.

"At that time, when we echoed the movement, he said it was irrelevant, he was still focused on working first because he only wanted to serve two years. The point is that he is not thirsty for power," said Umbas.

Umbas stated that Jokowi had repeatedly responded to the issue and firmly refused. This should be understood by those who seem to want to plunge Jokowi into betraying the mandate of reform.

“If Pak Jokowi said he intended for three terms, surely we volunteers would have known better. When we were called to discuss it was never shown, it was manifested by Mr. Jokowi's intention, on the contrary, we have heard repeatedly that he refused to serve a three-term presidential term," he said. Previously, some circles had started to push Jokowi forward as a presidential candidate (candidate), even paired with the Minister of Defense (Menhan) Prabowo Subianto. Even though it is against the constitution, a group calling itself the Jokowi-Prabowo National Secretariat (Jokpro) was formed by a number of people.

President Jokowi has previously responded to the discourse on the presidential term being added to three terms. Jokowi said the discourse had three meanings.

“One wanted to slap me in the face. The second one wants to find a face, even though I already have one. The third one wants to plunge, that's all," Jokowi said in February 2019.

Secretary General of the PDI-P (PDIP) Hasto Kristiyanto once emphasized that his party only wanted a limited amendment to the 1945 Constitution and not to discuss changing the presidential term. In 2019, Hasto assessed that the presidential term of office of two or ten years was still ideal.

“PDIP's stance on the limited amendments is only related to the direction of the state considering that this nation needs direction towards what we dream of as a just and prosperous society. We do not agree with (the increase in terms of office), because the spirit of reform has limited the president's office to 2 terms at the longest," he said.