President Jokowi Urged To Firmly Reject Postponed 2024 Elections

President Jokowi/ANTARA HO BPMI Presidential Secretariat

JAKARTA - PKB Chairman Muhaimin Iskandar's suggestion that the 2024 General Election be postponed received a positive response from political party elites.

The general chairman of the Golkar Party, Airlangga Hartarto, and the chairman of PAN, Zulkifli Hasan, have even voiced the importance of postponing the election.

The reason is the same, namely conveying the aspirations of the community such as entrepreneurs, MSME actors, and oil palm farmers who are currently in the momentum of economic improvement.

In response to this phenomenon, political communication observer at Esa Unggul University, Jamiluddin Ritonga, assessed that such a pattern would continue to be conveyed by state officials or other elements of society.

"The message will be uniform to maintain the momentum of economic development," Jamiluddin told VOI, Friday, February 25.

Jamiluddin explained that the consideration of economic sustainability that was voiced by various elements of society was only a justification. According to him, the aspirations of various elements of society will continue to be encouraged and echoed in order to form a public opinion that the people really want the election to be postponed.

"The impression that we want to build is that only this government can maintain economic growth. Therefore, this government should be given additional time to fix the Indonesian economy," he said.

In fact, said Jamiluddin, the current government has never succeeded in achieving 7 percent economic growth. This target is a promise that has not been fulfilled.

"This political model of mobilization will continue to be echoed. Through this method, it will be used as a justification that the people from various elements really want the election to be postponed," he explained.

Armed with the aspirations of the people, this will be used as a political bullet to urge the MPR to amend the 1945 Constitution. The MPR, he said, will be made as if it is powerless to reject the will of the people as a result of the mobilization.

"The government will politely state that I cannot refuse the will of the people. The voice of the people, the voice of God, should not be rejected," he said.

Therefore, Jamiluddin considered, President Joko Widodo must again firmly reject the proposal for the election to be postponed. Firmness is needed so that rumors of an extension of the term of office until 2027, which is the president's wish, will automatically be refuted.

"However, if the president is silent, then the rumors will continue to grow. This will certainly harm the good name of the president, who has been considered obedient to the constitution," he said.

It is even possible, continued Jamiluddin, besides Cak Imin, Airlangga, Zulkifli Hasan, there will also be other figures who will voice the postponement of the election with various justifications. All of this is done to achieve the will of the oligarchs and power-hungry parties.

"Therefore, all pro-democracy parties must unite in rejecting mobilization patterns to prolong power. These people have betrayed the mandate of reform and disobeyed the constitution," he said.