It’s Final: Jokowi-Ma’ruf 2019-2024
REUTERS / Willy Kurniawan
It has been a long and restless Indonesia democracy fight to say the least, hundreds of election staff (KPU) have died followed by nine demonstrators killed during the riot of civil unrest in the capital city Jakarta last month. With the endless circulation of speculations and hoax used as weapons, this has alarmed the country since the presidential debates rolled out early 2019. Undivided attention given to both of the presidential candidates has pushed numerous crucial problems aside while political conversation had been inevitable for many Indonesians.
The official announcement result from the General Elections Commission (KPU) in which declaring the incumbent President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) as the winner has quickly turned the country to another sequence of dramas. It’s been months long since the country stayed in the same pattern, perhaps it’s appropriate to say that it’s time for Indonesia to put a stop to this matter. The highly anticipated ruling of Constitutional Court (MK) has the final say in these political dramas that have been both entertaining and exhausting to the people of Indonesia. Turns out, the court’s verdict is just as predictable, Prabowo Subianto and his team were unable to overturn the election result.
This means the incumbent President Joko Widodo will be running the country for 5 more years alongside his vice Ma’ruf Amin. Moving forward with the ruling, Jokowi’s next move will be highly anticipated mainly whether he kept his words to rule for the best interest of Indonesia and not the political parties behind him. During the presidential debates, Jokowi had repeatedly emphasised on his unburdened second term and will only welcome the best candidates on board to support his ambitious goals. It is only by Widodo’s unwavering visions in manifesting the hopes of Indonesians that his second term will be freed from his political parties’ ambitions and needs.
REUTERS / Willy Kurniawan
Jokowi’s Revolusi Mental (Mental Revolution) program evidently turned out to be a highly-hyped-non-substantial jargon with many of his vows left undelivered. Jokowi’s last term needs to serve a significant change for any Indonesia politicians and their parties to get the majority of Indonesians sympathy in the upcoming elections. The starts of Widodo-Ma’ruf office will be closely watched by the public mainly in expecting the upcoming new ministers in their cabinet. Although Jokowi has sent a signal to have a unified House by welcoming his rival Prabowo and his political party the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), the chance of Prabowo accepting the offer is very slim.
Looking at Indonesia’s unfolding reality, it’s only hoped that Jokowi will reform the country as speedy and as consistently as how the President’s social media accounts are managed. Continuing on building the country infrastructures connectivity, elevate labour force, reform health and education system, revitalisation of advocate studies and eased limits on foreign ownership are some of the President’s ambitions that is yet to be fulfilled along with attracting foreign investments. Jokowi will need full-force support from his political parties, new cabinets and the people of Indonesia itself in fulfilling the country’s aim in becoming the fourth-largest economy by 2045.
While picturing Indonesia in full potential is all grand and well, domestically Jokowi might not have the glory the media try to picture him into. There is a lot of homework waiting for him from the growing blasphemy, intolerance charges to unresolved human rights violations cases. How objectively Ma’ruf Amin taking his new role will determine whether religion will be the ongoing theme for Indonesia political decisions.
It is final that Jokowi is the man in the office until 2024, yet it’s still uncertain whether Indonesia is ruled by the same compromising Jokowi or will we discover another ‘unburdened’ version of him. That is yet to be known, perhaps one we know for sure, we will still be enjoying many smiley vlogs from a president who isn’t afraid closing up cameras on his face.