Glembert
KN. Soekamoputri has defied expectations that she would define her party’s stance on the incoming government by hinting instead that it will assume what analysts say is the role of a “balancing force”, allowing it to exercise its political advantage while maintaining its voter base.
Golkar deputy chairman Erwin Aksa told The Jakarta Post it was not possible for Jokowi to lead the country’s oldest political party based on the party’s current internal regulations, which require that candidates for party chairmanship serve on its executive board for at least one full period. But a regulation change, he said, “is possible” during a party congress, which is slated for December, to open the doors for Jokowi to become party chairman.
Press organizations, student press, and pro-democracy organizations took to the streets to protest the draft revision of the Broadcasting Law in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Senayan, Jakarta. The masses marched from around GBK to the parliament building, expressing their rejection of the bill and calling for press freedom through banners. Herik Kurniawan, the chairman of the Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI) and one of the coordinators of the rally, said that demonstrations were held throughout Indonesia. He stressed that the latest revised draft of the Broadcasting Law contains several articles that are highly detrimental to the public, one of which is the ban on investigative journalism.
House Legislative Body Chair Supratman Andi Agtas said that the discussion on the broadcasting bill would be postponed based on a request from the Gerindra Party. Supratman said that the Legislative Body had been discussing the revision of the Broadcasting Law and a meeting had been held on the presentation of the proposer, Commission I. Supratman said the reason for the delay was that he did not want to interfere with the freedom of the press. The press, he added, is one of the pillars of democracy that must be maintained.
Indonesia’s next president Prabowo Subianto will give a special address at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. This as tensions run high in the South China Sea and amid fears of terrorism resurgence in the region.
Indonesia’s president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, won February’s presidential election in a landslide victory of nearly 59 percent of the nationwide vote, more than double his nearest challenger. But his party, Gerindra, fell far short of a majority in the parliamentary elections that took place at the same time. Gerindra was founded by Prabowo and its political fortunes are inseparable from his personal popularity. Yet, the party won just 14.8 percent of the seats in Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR).
Following pushback from Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Indonesia has put the brakes on proposed revisions to its Constitutional Court (MK) rules which experts say would threaten judges’ independence and give greater power to the incoming president. “(The PDI-P will) reject articles which weaken the MK, reject articles which have the potential to undermine MK judges who are objective, critical and bold,” PDI-P politician Djarot Saiful Hidayat said. The Bill would require judges who have served between five and 10 years to obtain approval from their respective appointing institutions if they wish to continue their tenure. “If the revision is passed into law, we will see judges trying to rule in favor of their appointing institutions because their jobs are on the line,” Feri Amsari, a constitutional law lecturer at West Sumatra’s Andalas University told CNA.
The Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) has said the Supreme Court’s recent controversial ruling on the age of gubernatorial candidacy for the upcoming regional head elections is unrelated to the party or its chairman. PSI executive Andy Budiman said the ruling had nothing to do with either the party or PSI chairman Kaesang Pangarep, the youngest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, as “the one who filed the petition with the Supreme Court is the Garuda Party”.
Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka refused to comment on the Supreme Court’s decision which alters the age requirement for candidates in the 2024 regional elections. This ruling has drawn public scrutiny for its potential to perpetuate the political dynasty of President Joko Widodo or Jokowi. “I already answered it yesterday when I was in Balekambang (Taman Balekambang Solo), right?” Gibran said briefly at the Solo City Hall, Central Java, after the closing ceremony of the Solo Great Sale 2024.
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