Election: The Struggle For Power In The Modern World That Remains On The Primitive Side

JAKARTA Ahead of the 2024 General Election, which is only three months away, political dramas will never stop popping up. President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) likens Korean dramas (drakor).

Insinuating and blaspheming each other seems to be a normal thing that happens ahead of the presidential election. According to Jokowi, this situation is like a drama, because it is too much of a feeling.

"That in a democracy whose name is political competition is normal, it's natural, the desire to win is also okay, competing to win is also a very natural thing," said the seventh President of the Republic of Indonesia in his remarks at the 59th Anniversary of the Golkar Party at the Golkar DPP office in Slipi, West Jakarta (6/11/2023).

"But what we must continue to show is quality democracy, which results in a progress strategy for the nation. I see that lately what we have seen is too many dramas. Too many dramas, too many soap operas, soap operas we see," Jokowi added.

In fact, according to Jokowi, in a political year like this what is needed is an argument against ideas, not even satirizing each other in the media.

"It should be a fight for ideas, it should be an idea fight, not a fight for feelings. If there is a fight, we all feel bothered. I don't have to continue it anywhere," he said.

There is no need to explain who Jokowi insinuated in his speech. However, a number of parties assessed that the former Mayor of Surakarta was discussing parties who continued to bring up the issue of Gibran Rakabuming Raka's candidacy as a candidate for vice president Prabowo Subianto.

Jokowi's statement then provoked comments from various parties. PDIP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto also spoke up by giving scathing comments.

"This politics is not a drama, this politics is seriousness, this politics is dedication, this politics is a commitment to the future, but this politics must come out of the reflection of the heart's common sense and conscience," said Hasto in Jakarta, Wednesday (8/11/2023).

"So if common sense is violated when the Constitutional Court is engineered to be castrated, a movement will emerge to straighten it out," he said.

Gibran is considered to have received a red carpet after the Constitutional Court's decision added that he had or was filling the position of public office elected through elections for presidential and vice presidential candidates under the age of 40.

The accusation about nepotism flowing heavily was directed at Gibran. Mainly because Anwar Usman, the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK), was his uncle. Finally, Anwar Usman was dismissed from his position as Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court after being declared to have violated the code of ethics by the Honorary Council of the Constitutional Court.

In the midst of the war between Jokowi's family and PDIP, the Deputy Chair of the Gelora Party Fahri Hamzah encouraged the contestants to fight over ideas.

"Don't let this election contain feelings that are difficult to measure for objectivity and subjectivity, instead we start arguing about ideas because in the argument there is no offense, in the feeling that the problem is offense," said Fahri Hamzah in a discussion event entitled Presidential Election 2024: Adu Idea Not Adu Feelings online, Wednesday (8/11/2023) afternoon.

On the same occasion, the former Deputy Speaker of the DPR reminded that the true election was a matter of power struggle in the modern world. And, the election as a place of struggle in the world is a more civilized method because there is no bloodshed, there are no killings like the previous wars when humans had not entered the modern civilization period.

"But the moments of the election, keep fighting for power. That's why we have to realize that every election or politics in general has two sides," said Fahri.

The first stage is an ideal problem, this is what is called the idea contestation. But people should not forget that in politics there is a rough side. This rough side is voting, fighting for votes, and the possibility of fraud," Fahri added.

Because these two things are in politics, Fahri reminded the importance of argument so that both of them are present in life without causing physical collisions.

Furthermore, Fahri said that in politics it cannot please everyone, there are always pros and cons. For this reason, he invites all parties to move away from the problems that have always been a conversation.

On the other hand, the Head of the National Winning Team (TPN) Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD, Arsjad Rasjid, did not deny any serious injuries that marked the beginning of the 2024 presidential election. This refers to the Constitutional Court's decision which proves the serious ethical violation of former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Anwar Usman.

"Basically, the MKMK stated that the Constitutional Court's decision number 90 was born from a serious ethical violation. This is a cloudy period of mourning for our democracy," said Arsjad at a press conference at the TPN Office, Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (8/11).

"This means that the people must accept that the democratic process of the presidential election has begun with serious injuries, history records this," said Arsjad again.