JAKARTA – Recently, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has turned 60 years old. As the Head of State as well as the Head of Government, facing various problems has certainly become a necessity. As a reflection, we recorded all the problems faced by the president in a year.
In June last year, it is still fresh in our minds when the president took the spotlight on the performance of his ministers. He even threatened to reshuffle his cabinet. What angered him the most was when his assistants did not have a sense of crisis in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
His angry speech was released on June 18. Ten days later or on Sunday, June 28, the video footage was distributed on the Presidential Secretariat's Youtube account.
The tone of President Jokowi's voice in the video sounded rising. One of the things that was mentioned was the matter of health spending. "For the national economic recovery, for example, let me give an example. The budget for the health sector is Rp. 75 trillion, only 1.53 percent has come out!" said Jokowi.
In the video, Jokowi also mentions the distribution of social assistance or social assistance which has not yet reached 100 percent. "The social assistance that the community has been waiting for will be issued immediately. If there is a problem, take action on the ground, even though it's good enough but it's new, this is extraordinary, it should be 100 percent."
Two days after the video went viral, Jokowi again talked about the economic crisis that was the impact of the pandemic. "I entrust that what we are facing is not only a health crisis, but also an economic problem. The economic crisis," said Jokowi in a video broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat Youtube, Tuesday, June 30, 2020.
The Central Statistics Agency noted that economic growth throughout 2020 experienced a contraction of 2.07 percent year on year. Head of BPS Suhariyanto said this contraction was influenced by the weakening in various economic sectors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“If we look at the economy in various countries in the fourth quarter, it improved compared to before, although we have to admit that the development is still weak. Many indicators can be seen, one of which is the Purchasing Managers Index or PMI, which showed strengthening in October, but weakened again in November and December," said Head of BPS Suhariyanto at a press conference Friday, February 5, 2021.
In the midst of a pandemic situation that still surrounds Indonesian citizens, the Jokowi government is faced with the polemic of the arrival of 156 foreign workers (TKA) from China to Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi. This problem invites pros and cons, especially for the local community.
Southeast Sulawesi Governor Ali Mazi, as quoted by Liputan6, said the arrival of Chinese foreign workers was not a problem. However, previously he had asked to be postponed due to considerations of the community's spiritual atmosphere due to the pandemic.
JulyIn July, the Jokowi government received a red report card from business actors in dealing with the pandemic. The assessment was described by the Indonesian Political Indicators Institute in its survey.
As quoted by Detik, this survey was conducted on 1,176 entrepreneurs in seven leading sectors. Starting from the agricultural sector, fisheries, mining, processing industry, construction, wholesale and retail trade of cars and motorcycles, as well as transportation and warehousing.
In addition to the issue of the pandemic, on July 20, President Jokowi officially disbanded 18 work teams, agencies and committees. This policy is enshrined in Presidential Regulation No. 82 of 2020 concerning the Covid-19 Handling Committee and National Economic Recovery.
This policy is the aftermath of Jokowi's anger because his staff did not work optimally in overcoming the crisis due to the pandemic. He said he would take unusual steps to speed up the handling of this crisis. "It could be, disbanding the institution. It could be a reshuffle. I've been thinking everywhere," said Jokowi.
AugustEntering August, Jokowi stole the public's attention when he made a speech wearing the traditional clothes of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) at the annual session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Friday, August 14 2020. Unfortunately, the content of his speech was considered to be contrary to current conditions.
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), for example, assessed that Jokowi's speeches on law, human rights, anti-corruption and democracy were merely lip service and formalities. "YLBHI finds that this has actually been run over and ignored, some examples of which are the problematic selection of KPK leaders and the revision of the KPK Law which shows the process of weakening the KPK is getting clearer," according to YLBHI's written statement quoted by the People's Mind.
In addition, another issue that Jokowi faced in the month of Indonesian independence was the appointment of the Indonesian Medical Council (KKI). It all started when the president inaugurated KKI members at the State Palace on Wednesday 19 August 2020.
There were 17 members who were inaugurated based on Presidential Decree No. 55/M of 2020 concerning the Termination and Appointment of KKI Membership. 10 people came from five Professional Associations and Organizations of Doctors, three representatives from community leaders, two representatives from the Ministry of Health and two representatives from the Ministry of Education and Culture.
The strongest rejection came from the Indonesian Doctors Association. Quoted by Tempo, Deputy Chairperson of PB IDI, Slamet Budiarto, stated that the two members of the Indonesian Medical Council for the 2020-2025 period who were appointed by Jokowi were not representatives of their organization. The two members are Putu Moda Arsana and Dollar.
"That's not the name of our proposal. IDI has submitted four names, all of them were crossed out (by the Minister of Health). The funny thing is (those who are appointed), they are still written by representatives from IDI," Slamet told Tempo.
SeptemberAnother thing that caused controversy was when Jokowi refused to postpone the 2020 Simultaneous Regional Head Elections and continue to be held in December 2020. The reason is, according to Jokowi, the 2020 Regional Head Elections cannot wait for certainty when the pandemic will end.
"The holding of local elections must still be carried out and we cannot wait until the pandemic ends, because indeed we do not know, any country does not know when the Covid pandemic will end," said Jokowi when giving directions in a limited meeting regarding the continuation of the discussion on 'Preparation for the Implementation of Simultaneous Regional Elections' such as which was broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat Youtube account, Tuesday 8 September.
Jokowi emphasized that public safety and health remains a priority in the midst of holding elections. According to him, success in getting out of various risks due to the pandemic occurs if health problems are successfully handled.
In addition, as we know, every September the issue of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) always blows up. Even though the institution was disbanded in 1965, its "ghosts" still seem to be hanging around and being politicized.
This time, the issue of communism was mentioned in an open letter from the Coalition for the Action to Save Indonesia (KAMI) to Jokowi. The letter contained WE's concern about the rise of a new style of PKI in Indonesia. They say communism has entered the executive and legislative circles.
On this basis, WE submit 3 demands to Jokowi. They asked the government to withdraw the HIP Bill from the Prolegnas, take action on the new style of PKI and rerun the G30S/PKI film.
A close person to Jokowi, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, also commented on the issue of communism and the invitation to watch the G30S/PKI film as requested by US. He admitted that he always watched the film. However, this does not mean that Mahfud is curious about the history of the PKI. Mahfud only praised the film as a good work.
"I always watch the film but I don't want to know or convince about the history of the PKI. I always watch it because it is a good artistic and dramatized film," Mahfud was quoted as saying by Kumparan.
OctoberOctober is the month of the polemic of the Omnibus Law on Job Creation. The final draft was submitted to Jokowi on Wednesday, October 14, 2020. According to Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko, Jokowi is not afraid to take risks in order to create the widest possible employment opportunities so that it can boost the economy.
"President Jokowi chose not to be afraid to take risks. Take a steep and uphill road," said Moeldoko in a press statement Saturday, October 17, 2020.
However, the institutionalization of the Job Creation Law has sparked widespread protests from various elements of society. On October 20, for example, more than 1,000 people consisting of student and labor groups held demonstrations and marches in Jakarta.
The action was carried out as a form of protest against the plan to ratify the Job Creation Bill which was considered detrimental to the workers. Some of the polemics that are being discussed related to this law include working hours, sectoral minimum wages, and leave entitlements.
The culmination of the controversy over the Omnibus Law Job Creation Law was when President Jokowi finally signed the regulation. As quoted by Bisnis, the Minister of Law and Human Rights (Menkumham) Yasonna H. Laoly signed the regulation on November 2, 2020 with number 11 of 2020 concerning Job Creation which has a total of 1,187 pages.
In addition to the flood of criticism over the Job Creation Act, President Jokowi also received a lot of praise for criticizing French President Emmanuel Macron's statement for insulting Islam. This firm attitude was immediately appreciated by many parties.
One of them is from the Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Youth National Committee (DPP KNPI). "The KNPI DPP appreciates President Jokowi's attitude towards criticizing Macron for insulting Islam," said KNPI DPP chairman Haris Pertama, Sunday, November 1, 2020.
DecemberIn December President Jokowi was again faced with a big problem. One of his assistants, former Minister of Social Affairs Juliari Peter Batubara, stumbled upon a corruption case of social assistance (bansos) COVID-19. Juliari was named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Sunday 6 December 2020.
Meanwhile, the name of Jokowi's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was also mentioned in the bribery case for distributing social assistance. Gibran's name was mentioned in Tempo Magazine's investigative report which said the candidate for Mayor of Solo was said to have recommended PT Sri Rezeki Isman (Sritex) in procuring a social assistance goodie bag for the Ministry of Social Affairs. However, so far this assumption has not been proven.
Until finally, President Jokowi reshuffled his cabinet on Tuesday, December 22, 2020. One of those appointed by Jokowi to fill his cabinet was former Surabaya Mayor Tri Risma Harini as Minister of Social Affairs replacing Juliari Batubara.
Starting in 2021, President Jokowi expressed the government's firmness in disbanding the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) community organization. This is also one of the values that boost the level of public satisfaction with Jokowi's leadership. A survey conducted by the Voxpopuli Research Center showed a satisfaction rate of 72.8 percent, an increase from the previous survey conducted in October 2020 with a result of 64.7 percent.
Then on January 13, President Jokowi received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. The activity was broadcast live via live streaming on the account of the Presidential Secretariat. Even though vaccination has been running, the number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia is still increasing day by day.
The day before Indonesia recorded one million cases of COVID-19, on January 25, President Jokowi expressed his gratitude when giving a virtual speech at the Complete Worker Assembly of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (MPL-PGI). According to him, the government has overcome two crises due to the pandemic: health and economy.
Some people consider Jokowi's communication to be in denial. Director of the Center for Media and Democracy, Institute for Economic and Social Research, Education and Information (LP3ES) Wijayanto said President Jokowi's statement did not show empathy to the public.
In the second month of 2021, President Jokowi issued several Presidential Regulations (Perpres) that reaped the pros and cons in the public. The first is Presidential Decree Number 10 of 2021 concerning the Investment Business Sector which is a derivative of Law (UU) Number 11 of 2020 concerning Job Creation. This Presidential Regulation regulates alcohol investment permits. And the second is Presidential Regulation Number 14 of 2021 concerning Amendments to Presidential Regulation No. 99 of 2020 concerning the Procurement of Vaccines and the Implementation of Vaccinations in the Context of Combating the COVID-19 Pandemic. This Presidential Regulation regulates the application of administrative and criminal sanctions for people who refuse to carry out the COVID-19 vaccination.
In addition, President Jokowi is also aware of the emergence of discussions about criticism that lead to criminal acts or reporting to the police. This has prompted President Jokowi to ask the National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo to carefully handle reports on the ITE Law.
"If the ITE Law cannot provide a sense of justice, yes, I will ask the DPR to jointly revise this law. the ITE Law. Because this is where it comes from. The upstream is here… a revision," said Jokowi in a statement via the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube on Monday, February 15, 2021.
MarchReporting from DW, after receiving input from ulama, mass organizations, and also from the provinces and regions, President Jokowi decided to revoke the presidential regulation on alcohol investment permits on March 2, 2021.
2 days later, on March 4, 2021, Jokowi's statement again seized the public's attention. As quoted by Kompas, President Jokowi asked for an attitude of loving domestic products to be more echoed, he even asked that hatred for foreign products was also echoed. This statement is considered inconsistent with the policy of opening the door to foreign products and investments.
Following this, Jokowi expressed his full support for the COVID-19 vaccine innovation that is being developed in the country, namely the Red and White Vaccine and the Nusantara Vaccine. Jokowi only reminded that all vaccine products developed must comply with scientific rules so as to produce safe, efficacious, and quality drug and vaccine products.
Meanwhile, to respond to the growing polemic on rice imports in the community, President Jokowi ensured that the government would not import rice until June 2021. He ordered the Logistics Affairs Agency (Bulog) to absorb rice from local farmers. This was revealed on March 26 via the Presidential Secretariat's Youtube video.
The issue of the plan to amend the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia to increase the term of office of the president was also widely heard. Responding to this, on March 15, Jokowi reiterated that he had no intention of becoming president for three terms. On the other hand, Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) senior economist Didik J. Rachbini predicts that Jokowi's leadership will leave a debt of IDR 10,000 trillion to the next president of Indonesia. This debt is a combination of government debt and state-owned enterprises (BUMN) debt, which as of February 2021 has reached Rp 6,361 trillion.
AprilOn April 3, President Jokowi and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto witnessed the wedding of Atta Halilintar and Aurel Hermansyah. They were present in person at the marriage ceremony held at the Raffles Hotel, Setiabudi, South Jakarta.
This suddenly came into the spotlight and was considered not to provide a good example in implementing health protocols in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, on April 16, President Jokowi emphasized that the ban on going home for the 2021 Eid al-Fitr which falls on May 6-17 applies to all people.
Then on April 26 through the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel, President Jokowi said he had ordered the TNI Commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto and the National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo to arrest all members of the armed criminal group (KKB). This order was delivered after the Head of the Papuan Regional Intelligence Agency (Kabinda) Brigadier General I Gusti Putu Danny Nugraha Karya died in a gun battle with KKB on Sunday afternoon, April 25.
On the same occasion, President Jokowi also ensured that the 53 crew members of the KRI Nanggala submarine that sank in the waters north of Bali on April 24 received promotions and service stars as a form of respect. The government will also guarantee the education of the soldiers of KRI Nanggala-402 up to the level of education. S1.
On April 28, President Jokowi again reshuffled ministers in the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet. He announced two new ministries, namely the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbud-Ristek) led by Minister Nadiem Makarim, and the Ministry of Investment led by Bahlil Lahadalia. President Jokowi also inaugurated Laksana Tri Handoko as Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) replacing Bambang Brodjonegoro.
MayThe snippet of President Jokowi's speech again created a 'crowd' in the community. In a video titled '05.05 Proud Made in Indonesia' uploaded by the Ministry of Trade's YouTube account on May 5, 2021, President Jokowi mentions several regional specialties and invites the public to order them online only during the Eid holiday. One of those mentioned is Bipang Ambawang from Kalimantan which is known to be forbidden to be consumed by Muslims. As a result the hashtag #Bipang is included in the trending topics on Twitter.
Following on May 19, 2021, President Jokowi slipped his tongue and mistakenly called Padang City a province. This happened when he inspected the construction site for the Pekanbaru-Bangkinang toll road. Jokowi's statement was later clarified by the Head of the Presidential Secretariat (Kasetpres) Heru Budi Hartono who stated that Jokowi meant West Sumatra Province.
The polemic of the National Insight Test (TWK) for employees of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) also reached its peak this May. President Jokowi also spoke about the failure of 75 KPK employees in the TWK related to the transfer of ASN status and the threat of being dismissed. According to Jokowi, the failure of 75 KPK employees in the TWK assessment did not necessarily become the basis for dismissal.
"I ask the relevant parties, especially the KPK leadership, the PAN-RB minister and also the Head of the National Civil Service Agency (BKN) to design a follow-up action that is declared not to have passed the test with the principles I stated earlier," Jokowi said in a statement issued by the President. quoted via the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube on Monday, 17 May.
JuneOn June 9, President Jokowi inspected the development of the Light Rapid Transit (LRT) which will pass in the Jakarta-Bogor-Depok-Bekasi (Jabodebek) area. He expressed his hope that the LRT could start testing in April 2022 before being operational in June 2022, and later it would be integrated with Transjakarta buses, MRT, train stations, and airports.
Then the day after, on June 10, President Jokowi visited Tanjung Priok Port and received direct complaints from container drivers who work daily at the Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT) Pier and Koja Container Terminal. Hearing the story from the driver, Jokowi immediately called the National Police Chief, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, to resolve the practice of thuggery and extortion at Tanjung Priok Port. He also admitted that he would continue to follow developments in solving this problem.
In addition, the number of COVID-19 cases jumped again in June 2021. Jokowi said this was a tough test that Indonesia still had to face.
And yesterday, June 23, President Jokowi said the government sees the Micro PPKM policy as still the most appropriate policy for the current context to control COVID-19 because it can run without shutting down the people's economy. He also asked anyone without exception to immediately implement the COVID-19 vaccine if they had the opportunity so that Indonesia would immediately achieve herd immunity. He asked the public not to use any reason not to carry out the vaccine, including the pretext of being forbidden by religion.
*Read other information about JOKO WIDODO or read other interesting articles from Ramdan Febrian Arifin.
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