Observers Say, Nicknames For State Officials From Students Are A Form Of Restlessness And Distrust

Ilustrasi (Photo: Juliana Romão on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - After President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) got the nickname The King of Lip Service from the University of Indonesia Student Executive Board, now it's the turn of Vice President Ma'ruf Amin and Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives Puan Maharani to get the nickname from the Student Executive Board of the Semarang State University Student Family (BEM). KM Unnes).

BEM KM Unnes called Ma'ruf Amin as The King of Silent and Puan Maharani as The Queen of Ghosting. The nickname was uploaded to their Instagram account which was later hacked and disappeared.

So what causes these students to give nicknames to these officials?

Political observer from Al Azhar University Indonesia, Ujang Komarudin said that what BEM UI and BEM KM Unnes and other student bodies were saying were a sign that they no longer trusted the current government.

In addition, this nickname also appears because the attitude of these officials may be different from their promises.

"The nicknames were born and appeared because many officials did not fulfill their promises. What was said and what was realized was always different," Ujang told VOI, Friday, July 9.

In addition, he also said that this attitude could not only be felt by students but also the community in general and this was natural. "Because the aspirations and wishes of the people have never been heard," said Ujang.

There are many incidents that indicate that the government often does not listen to the voices of the people. One of them was when the government decided to revise the Corruption Eradication Commission Law in 2019.

"The people don't want to but they have revised it and have weakened and killed the KPK," he said.

Not only the revision of the KPK Law, Ujang also mentioned the ratification of the Omnibus Law on the Job Creation Law. At that time, the community also refused but the officials were united in passing the legislation.

"The fact is that the people are always left behind and disadvantaged. So it is natural for the people, students, to start being critical and fighting back," he said.

Ujang has a suggestion for state officials to stop the strange nicknames assigned to them. According to him, all government officials without exception must fulfill their promises.

"The government must realize its campaign promises. Realize what is said, not what A says, but what B does. Don't," said Ujang.

Previously reported, BEM KM Unnes called Ma'ruf as The King of Silent because he is considered to have zero existence in public, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas as Vice President, Ma'ruf should be able to fill the vacant role that President Jokowi cannot fill.

"In general, the public perceives Vice President Ma'ruf Amin as being absent and silent," as quoted from Instagram @bemkmunnes, which disappeared on Wednesday, July 7.

Furthermore, they regard Ma'ruf only as a legitimator of government policies with biased arguments and claims that are linked to certain identities and religions.

"This can be seen in his political statement regarding the halalness of BPJS and the law that Fardlu Kifayyah carries out the COVID-19 vaccination," wrote BEM KM Unnes.

Apart from Ma'ruf, they also dubbed the Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, as The Queen of Ghosting. This nickname was given by BEM KM Unnes because various legislative products produced in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a populist paradigm and did not side with vulnerable groups.

"(For example, red) the KPK Law, the Minerba Law, the Ciptaker Omnibus Law and so on, and the PKS Bill has not been ratified which is actually quite urgent and needs its ratification," they said.

Next, just like BEM UI, they also dub President Jokowi as The King of Lip Service. According to them, Jokowi is incompetent in carrying out his duties as president and has broken his political promises.

This can be seen from the comparative review of facts and promises made by the former Governor of DKI Jakarta during his tenure.

"For example, regarding the national debt, commitment to democracy and handling the pandemic. Even though it seems that the government is carrying out its duties to the maximum extent possible, the facts show things that are often contradictory and paradoxical," they concluded.