Political Dinasty And Neutrality Challenges In 2024 Elections

Allegations of political dynasty practice and neutrality ahead of the 2024 presidential election is echoed. (VOI Illustration)

The 2024 election is getting closer, but the political dynasty and the issue of the neutrality of the state apparatus are the main focus. A big question arises: Can the 2024 elections be neutral when the ruling son also fought? President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), who previously built a positive image, received sharp criticism because he was accused of abusing power.

The Decree of the Constitutional Court (MK) in October granted students' claims regarding the age limit of presidential and vice presidential candidates caused controversy. The verdict, which allowed someone under 40 years old to be vice presidential candidate, was considered a step to smooth Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi's eldest son, in the 2024 presidential election.

However, not only Gibran. The phenomenon of the political dynasty is increasingly raised with President Jokowi's son -in -law Bobby Nasution, who served as Mayor of Medan, and Kaesang Pangarep, who suddenly jumped into politics and became the General Chairperson of PSI. The political dynasty, which is not new, created differences with the Political Dynasty of Bush Era in the United States.

Critical questions arise: Can Jokowi maintain his neutrality as president ahead of the 2024 election? Feri Amsari, an observer of constitutional law, in the media stated that the temptation to privilege families, especially children, is something that is very difficult to avoid.

Jokowi's neutrality himself was tested before the campaign began, especially related to the case of billboards removal of the presidential pair who were Gibran's opponents in several regions. This is considered by some parties as a form of intimidation and the non-neutrality of the president in the election.

Gibran was also criticized for being considered to have committed a campaign violation by distributing milk in Car Free Day, and impacting the accusations of the non-neutrality of the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu).

Yayan Hidayat, Executive Director of The Strategic Research and Consulting, in VOI stated that the emergence of the political dynasty made it difficult for the hope that the election would held neutrally. The centralization of power in the political dynasty is considered a threat to democratic values.

Ade Armando's controversial statement from PSI created tension, which was responded by Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, Governor of DIY, emphasizing the privilege of DIY. That the specialty of DIY is in accordance with the mandate of the law.

In the midst of this polemic, Syarief Hasan from the Democratic Party expressed his view of the political dynasty. He emphasized that continuing the footsteps of parents in politics is legitimate, but the process must comply with procedural provisions and not instant. According to him, regeneration must involve young people who have competence and capacity.

With the issue of the political dynasty increasingly sticking out, the 2024 election became a moment full of dynamics. The biggest challenge is to maintain neutrality and integrity, especially with the issue of increasingly apparent political dynasty.