Noise in Democracy

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

The People\'s Alliance Movement holds a rally on Monday (23/9/2019) at the Gejayan T-junction in Sleman, Yogyakarta. The demonstrators demanded that the government reevaluate the problematic articles in the draft Criminal Code Bill (RKUHP), as well as called on the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) to reconsider the recently approved revised Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law.

Democracy was so noisy at the end of the 2014 to 2019 term of the House of Representatives (DPR) and of President Joko Widodo and Vice President M Jusuf Kalla.

Protests and demonstrations occurred in a number of places. The revision of Law No. 30/2002 concerning the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which the House and President Jokowi seemingly insisted they had to ratify, became the starting point for the protests. With all the problems it faces, the KPK is a symbol of hope. Revising the KPK Law surprisingly very quickly was perceived as an effort to weaken the anticorruption body. This is where the battle of narratives and the battle of narrators occur. The credibility of the messengers also brings influences.

The public protests expand. The draft Criminal Code (RKUHP) revisions, which were to be ratified by the House on Sept. 24, 2019, have also become a source of protest and rejection. In the RKUHP case, President Jokowi has ordered Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly to postpone the passing of the revisions into law. The President requested that the controversial features of the RKUHP be discussed by the House in the next period. The political situation in the country is increasingly noisy, accompanied by the spread of information through social media or chat groups on WhatsApp. There is the issue of Papua as well.

KOMPAS/FABIO M LOPES COSTA

Officers of the National Police’s Mobile Brigade unit prepare for public security deployment on Monday (23/9/2019) in response to fresh protests involving students of Cenderawasih University in Jayapura, Papua.

The cacophony occurred toward the end of the House term on Sept. 30, 2019. On Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019, the House is to welcome new faces with the arrival of new House and Regional Representative Council (DPD) members who were elected in the April 17, 2019 elections. Also on Oct. 20, 2019, President Jokowi and Vice President Ma\'ruf Amin will be inaugurated. Furthermore, the public is awaiting fresh faces in the new Cabinet.

Demonstrations and protests in a number of regions could have been united by issues such as the threat against civil liberties and the issue about the effort to weaken the KPK. However, there are also political negotiations that have not yet been settled. We hope the negotiations for the formation of leaders of state institutions and the circulation of elite members within the political parties can soon be concluded. In politics there is rarely a series of events that happen all as a coincidence.

The state elites should understand the younger generations are always online. This group will quickly access information and also quickly disseminate information, without verifying the quality of that information. Narratives and counter narratives are important to convey in the public spaces.

We hope the police personnel will maintain the freedom of expression or protest expressed by the demonstrators. The possibility of acts of violence should be avoided as much as possible. The demonstrators must also understand the democratic channels available to launch protests. Such protests must be staged within the corridors of democracy. There should never be any thoughts of taking action against democracy, because that would kill democracy itself.

KOMPAS/MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO

Police officers form a human cordon as student protesters hold up a banner listing their demands at a rally on Monday (23/9/2019) in Purwokerto, Central Java. The peaceful protest called for the rejection of the draft Criminal Code Bill (RKUHP) and a judicial review of the revised Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law.

Democracy must be understood as the only rule of the game for power. The democratic process such as the inauguration of the House and the President must continue.