Edition 18: SBY Alleges Plot to Rig the 2024 Presidential Election
SBY Alleges Plot to Rig the 2024 Presidential Election
Source: Antara Photo, Jakarta Globe
Within the past week, videos of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) claiming that there is an ongoing plot to prevent his political party from nominating a candidate for the 2024 presidential election have circulated.
He stated that he may be coming out of retirement and returning to the political stage to address the alleged unfairness.
Though lacking any evidence, the former Democratic Party leader alleged that the upcoming 2024 presidential election will be arranged such that only two presidential candidates will participate.
Many allege that these baseless accusations are because of the difficulties the Democratic Party will face in the upcoming presidential elections.
Any number of candidates are able to compete in a presidential election in Indonesia as long as they have the backing of a political party or a coalition thereof which compose either 20% of seats in the People’s Representative Council (DPR) or 25% of popular votes in the prior election.
However, the Democratic Party cannot field its own candidates in 2024 as they only gained 9.39% of seats in the DPR, far below the necessary threshold.
The Democratic Party would need to rely on a coalition with other parties, through this is difficult given five other parties have already entered into coalition agreements, leaving only the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the National Democratic Party (Nasdem), and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) as potential partners.
An alternative explanation is given by political analyst Adi Prayitno who mentioned that SBY is anxious due to Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan being summoned by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on September 7 as part of a probe into the funding of the Formula E race hosted in Jakarta in 2021.
Anies was touted as a potential Democratic Party-backed presidential candidate and running mate for SBY’s son Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), who lacks popular support on his own.
Adi said, “if Anies cannot put himself forward (i.e. because of the KPK investigation), AHY’s door is closed because no other parties or candidates ever mention his name.”
SBY has been seen as trying to cement a political dynasty for himself through his sons. As such, his statement on coming out of retirement, or turun gunung (lit. coming down from the mountain), might be to save his son’s chances at a presidential candidacy.
It is important to note that Indonesia’s elections have been deemed free and fair by even the most critical of international scrutineers.
Freedom House, a US-based think tank who runs the annual Freedom Index, gave Indonesia’s presidential and legislative elections four out of four points, certifying that the electoral process was free and fair.
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What Is Up, Indonesia?
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DPR Passes Personal Data Protection Law: According to the newly passed Personal Data Protection Law, releasing people’s personal data is regarded as a serious offense, punishable by up to four years in prison and Rp 4 billion in fines. This is one of many examples of the penalties and sanctions provided for under the new law.
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Papua Governor Doesn’t Deny Allegation of $39m Casino Spending: In response to an impending KPK investigation, Governor of Papua Lukas Enembe’s attorney mentioned that the governor is wealthy enough to spend his money however he sees fit
📈 Economics, Business & Technology
Indonesia to Tighten Rules for Crypto Exchanges: The Indonesian trade ministry intends to issue new regulations governing crypto asset exchanges. Two-thirds of the board of directors and commissioners must be Indonesian citizens.
Bank Indonesia Raises Rates by Another 50 Basis Points: Currently at 4.25%, high interest rates have been judged by economists to have exacerbated cost of living concerns and slowed down economic growth.
🏛️ Society & Culture
Bogor High School Conducts Period Inspection to Ensure Girls Don’t Ditch Prayer: A teacher reportedly initiated a period inspection on female students at an Indonesian public high school. In Islam, women on their period are restricted from praying. The alleged victims and the school have met with the Commission for the Protection of Indonesian Children (KPAI).
Indonesia to Partake in 1st ASEAN Deaf Games: The ASEAN Deaf Games were scheduled to take place in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2019. However, the host was unable to meet the obligations and minimum requirements for event administration and management. Except for bowling, Indonesia has prepared its male and female athletes to compete in all sports.
What We're Reading
We’re sticking with the topic of elections for this week’s recommended reading. Like we said in the headliner, there is no doubt that elections in Indonesia are undertaken in a free and fair manner. However, that is not to say that improvements are not needed in the system. A number of structural election reforms are recommended in the following reading.
Indonesia’s Electoral System, Why it Needs Reform: “For Indonesia’s electoral system to become more democratic, inclusive and effective, several changes would have to be initiated…these problems should be subject to a democratic and inclusive discussion within Indonesian society at large - and not only among elite actors interested in defending the status quo.” - Marcus Mietzner (Australian National University), New Mandala
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