Concrete Steps Needed in Reuniting People

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

President Joko Widodo speaks to journalists on Monday (1/7/2019) at Bogor Palace, West Java.

Indonesia’s elites must set an example in reuniting the nation following a divisive election. Strengthening the national ideology of Pancasila is also necessary.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Concrete steps are required to bring people back together following sharp divisions in the 2019 election. Political elites, public figures and religious leaders must proactively give examples on how to do this.

Its urgency is reflected in, among others, a Kompas research and development (R&D) poll held on June 26-27. Of the 545 respondents in 16 major cities across Indonesia, 84 percent said that reuniting the people following political divisions in the election would be either necessary or highly necessary.

As part of efforts to bring the country together, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has reaffirmed that he would focus his attention on all the people and regions across Indonesia.

“I will also give my attention to regions where I lost [in the election]. No region should feel [that it will not get my attention]. I hope that governors, regents and mayors will also do the same. No governors, for example, can give different treatments between areas where they won and areas where they lost. For regents, it is also the same,” Jokowi said at the Bogor Palace on Monday (1/7/2019).

At the occasion, Jokowi, whom the General Elections Commission (KPU) has named as president-elect alongside Ma’ruf Amin as vice president-elect, also pointed out that the presidential election was a five-yearly contestation. At the same time, the nation should nurture political maturity. This begins at the level of political elites, as the grassroots will see and follow examples the elites give.

Public figures and religious leaders must also give good examples.

“We want religious leaders and public figures to help cool things down and provide soothing words,” Jokowi said.

Conflict

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences’ (LIPI) Center of Political Research head Firman Noor said that he was concerned over the presence of certain parties deliberately wanting to maintain conflict and public division.

In order to resolve this, Firman said he hoped political elites from opposing sides in the election could meet immediately, with a meeting between Jokowi and Prabowo Subianto as the ultimate goal.

“There must be concrete steps that can symbolically show the elites’ sincerity,” he said.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

President Joko Widodo gestures during an interview with Kompas chief editor Ninuk Mardiana Pambudi on Monday (1/7/2019) at Bogor Palace, West Java.

Nasdem Party secretary-general Johnny G Plate said that since election day on April17, his party had made efforts to realize a Jokowi-Prabowo meeting. However, it has yet to come to fruition.

Now, Johnny said, the party was waiting for a response from the Prabowo-Sandiaga Uno camp on such a meeting.

“Let’s not ask this question to Pak Jokowi as we have made the offer many times before. Whether the meeting is with Pak Prabowo or with Pak Sandiaga first, it will not be a problem,” Johnny said.

Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) executive Mardani Ali Sera said that several groups in the Prabowo camp had yet to accept the Constitutional Court’s (MK) ruling rejecting its petition in the presidential election dispute. Prabowo is said to be considering the views of these groups.

“As a politician, I personally believe that we have etiquettes and rationale. As the contestation is finished, we have to congratulate Pak Jokowi as the winner. We need to appreciate the views of [our supporters], but on the other hand, we also have to educate them to be rational in politics,” he said.

Mardani said he had proposed an assembly meeting between the political elites of both camps before a Jokowi-Prabowo meeting could be realized.

Apart from an elites’ assembly, Mardani said accountable and fair law enforcement efforts and strengthening Pancasila were also necessary.

“There must be a balance between the political process, the law enforcement process and the strengthening of Pancasila. Open discussions are needed to rebuild trust,” he said.

Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) professor Azyumardi Azra said the legal approach the government was committed to – namely the arrest of alleged provocateurs behind the horizontal conflict – should be a last resort for the Jokowi-Amin camp.

“Currently, a reconciliatory and persuasive approach based on empathy and dialogues is required,” he said.

Ideology strengthening

The Kompas R&D poll showed that President Jokowi should also make efforts to strengthen Pancasila as an ideology. Some 79.1 percent of respondents said that strengthening Pancasila would be either necessary or highly necessary.

On this issue, Jokowi has achieved progress by establishing the Agency for the Implementation of the State Ideology of Pancasila (BPIP). However, the agency has remained leaderless since Yudi Latif’s resignation as its chairman in June last year.

“A definitive chairman of the BPIP must be appointed immediately as this highly determines the agency’s effectiveness in carrying out its duties,” Jember University’s Center of Pancasila and Constitution Studies head Bayu Dwi Anggono said.

Currently, the BPIP should improve its public presence to give concrete responses and follow-ups to issues of state ideology, including the reported spread of radical views in government bodies and education institutions. (REK/NTA/INA/AGE/HAR)