Jokowi is no political demigod Satrio Wahono  ;   The writer graduated from the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Indonesia (UI) and lectures on Philosophy, Pancasila and Civic Education among other subjects at Pancasila University and Yarsi University in Jakarta

JAKARTA POST,  24 Februari 2014

                                                                                                                        

                                                                                         

                                                                                                                       

Indonesia in 2014 may not escape the charm of Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who is touted as the country’s next president should he find himself on a ticket to run for the top job. Nearly all surveys have shown Jokowi tops the list of presidential candidates, overshadowing other top political names such as Prabowo Subianto, Aburizal Bakrie, Mahfud MD and even Jokowi’s party leader, Megawati Soekarnoputri. A psychologist, Hamdi Muluk, said many Indonesians considered Jokowi a “political demigod” (manusia setengah dewa) who had no flaws and was perfect for leading Indonesia to the greatness it so richly deserves. Yet such idolizing of Jokowi may create another phenomenon of a strong leader should he become president, making people forget that in reality he does have several flaws. We can identify at least four serious drawbacks so far. First, Jokowi’s populist image and his impromptu visits and seemingly breakthrough measures — such as the relocations of hawkers in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta; Pasar Gembrong in East Jakarta; and Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta — have not been proven to be sustainable. We can see for ourselves that the Jokowi administration is still weak in terms of follow-up policies. For example, relocated hawkers who complain of declining sales in places like Pasar Gembrong have decided to go back to selling their products illegally on the street. So far, the Jokowi administration has not properly addressed the problem. Second, Jokowi and his deputy, Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, have not shown their fullest ability in terms of a wider coalition with major political factions in the local City Council. Since they won the Jakarta gubernatorial election with political backing from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Gerindra Party, Jokowi and Ahok have not been successful in terms of embracing factions beyond their supporting political parties. Take the continuing dispute between Ahok and local legislator Haji Lulung of the United Development Party (PPP) with the relocation of Tanah Abang hawkers and flood management policies. Or take the criticism from legislator Nurhayati Assegaff of the Democratic Party (PD) over Jokowi’s performance in managing fires in Jakarta. What if such an inability to build a larger coalition is carried to the national level in the event Jokowi becomes president? Certainly, our future national political landscape will be full of political turmoil, like we had with the late president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid (1999–2001). Gus Dur was highly revered during the early period of his rule, only to be toppled gradually due to his failure to tactically embrace other political factions. Third, Jokowi will find it hard to tender his resignation from the governor’s seat should he run for the presidency as political factions outside the PDI-P and Gerindra may overrule his resignation. The resignation of a governor or deputy governor must be approved by the plenary meeting of the local legislative council. Unfortunately, since the PDI-P and Gerindra do not add up to a majority, Jokowi may suffer the same fate as former deputy governor Prijanto, who saw his resignation overruled by the council in 2012. Despite his massive popularity, Jokowi might not be able to run for the presidency. Fourth, Jokowi’s well-known loyalty to his political boss, Megawati, may raise questions as to whether as president he would be able to remain a healthy distance from the PDI-P chairwoman. And will Jokowi be able to take a firm stance if his policies are different from Megawati’s opinions? These are valid questions if we consider that Jokowi’s candidacy will depend much on whether Megawati — as the deciding factor regarding the party’s presidential candidate — gives a green light to Jokowi to run. So we can see that Jokowi is a mere mortal instead of a political demigod. A failure to deal with his flaws will make people disappointed if their hero fails to meet high expectations. Furthermore, such a collective mood will erode the people’s support for Indonesia’s democracy and leaders as they witness the fall from grace of their political role models. This is not something we want to see happen. ●