Discussion of Program Should Not Be Forgotten

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto(right) bids Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri farewell outside Megawati\'s residence on Jl. Teuku Umar, Jakarta, on Wednesday (24/7/2019).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The recent political turmoil believed to be caused by the distribution of power after the 2019 elections should not make the members of the political elite forget to formulate a work program to fulfill their campaign promises.

The consolidation of power should not become the focus of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Ma\'ruf Amin because the elected President and vice president for 2019 to 2024 have been supported by the majority.

"Within the next three months, Jokowi and Amin must focus on determining the direction of the nation in line with their campaign promises. The finalization of the work program and the appointment of ministers must be prioritized," Firman Noor, a researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said in Jakarta on Sunday.

In the last a few weeks, the discussion within the coalition of political parties supporting Jokowi and Amin has been more dynamic, especially regarding the need for more political parties to join the coalition. Last Friday, political parties from the Jokowi-Amin coalition finally decided to wait for Jokowi\'s decision regarding this matter.

Five political parties that supported Jokowi and Amin in the recent election, namely the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Golkar Party, the Nasdem Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the United Development Party (PPP), are estimated to control more than 60 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives for 2019 to 2024.

Firman said that the number of seats obtained by political parties supporting Jokowi and Amin indicated that Jokowi and Amin received strong support from a number of political parties. It means that the consolidation of power should not become a priority for Jokowi and Amin.

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Gerindra Party chairman political rival PrabowoSubianto (left) shakes hands with President Joko Widodo on Saturday (13/7/2019) to congratulate the latter on his reelection for the 2019-2014 term at the Lebak Bulus MRT station, South Jakarta. The two rivals traveled on the MRT from Lebak Bulus to Senayan in their first meeting since the heated and divisive 2019 election in a gesture of reconciliation and unity in moving forward to develop the nation.

Meanwhile, the executive director of the Center for Political Studies at the University of Indonesia, Aditya Perdana, saw that recent political dynamics had reduced the differences that had occurred during the election. At the same time they also raised awareness about the importance of an opposition in the political system in Indonesia. "It is healthy for democratization," he said.

Above all the political dynamics that occur, said Aditya, the political elite must respect the people\'s votes in the election by consistently implementing the platforms and programs offered during the election.

Two meetings

On Saturday, the Gerindra Party’s chairperson, Prabowo Subianto, met with the deputy chairperson of the party’s advisory board, Rachmawati Soekarnoputri. Separately, PDI-P’s chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri met with the chairman of the PPP’s consultative council, Maimoen Zubair (Mbah Moen).

PPP’s secretary-general Arsul Sani said the Mbah Moen and Megawati meetings were familial. On Sunday, Mbah Moen left on pilgrimage to Mecca, so he asked for prayers and said goodbye to Megawati.

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (at podium), accompanied by Ma\'ruf Amin (ninth left), delivers a speech after receiving documents from the General Elections Commission (KPU) declaring Jokowi-Amin as the elected president and vice president for the 2019-2024 term on Sunday (30/6/2019). At the declaration, which was held at an open plenary meeting at the KPU’s Jakarta headquarters on Jl. Imam Bonjol, Jakarta, Jokowi-Amin was declared to have gained 85,607,362 votes or 55.50 percent of the vote.

Mbah Moen also conveyed a number of matters related to the issues of the people, including programs related to religious institutions and Islamic boarding schools.

Meanwhile, after meeting Prabowo, Rachmawati said Gerindra was ready to exchange ideas with the government to find solutions to various national problems. "We think about how good the nation will be. As a result, it is not a matter of power or position, but how to save the nation\'s condition," she said. (SAN/REK)