President Widodo: You're allowed to campaign as long as you don't use state facilities...
Man: Motorcycle taxi Mr? (a play on Widodo's fondness for bike riding)
Election observers, civil society groups and political parties have blasted Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo for potentially compromising the neutrality of the 2024 elections by saying he's allowed take sides in next month’s poll.
Many have become increasingly concerned over Widodo's tacit support for the presidential ticket made up of his eldest son, vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and presidential hopeful Défense Minister Prabowo Subianto.
Speaking alongside Prabowo at the Halim Air Force base on January 24, Widodo said that it is his “democratic and political right” to pick a side in the February 14 elections, which will see Indonesian voters going to the polls to elect a new president and vice president along with the national legislature and provincial parliaments.
“The president can campaign, the president can take sides. It’s allowed”, said Widodo, adding that it was important however for a president to not use state facilities while promoting a candidate.
“We are public officials as well as political officials. We can be political, ministers can too”, he added.
Todung Mulya Lubis, the legal head of rival presidential candidate former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo's campaign team, said that Widodo's statement is alarming because it was unprecedented and he appears to be disregarding the fact that the president should be neutral.
Likewise, the deputy campaign director of the third presidential candidate, former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, said a 2017 rule allows the president to campaign but in his view the president should still remain neutral.
“The rules aside, the partisan attitude is undermining democracy”, Mardani Ali Sera told reporters.
Sera also said that Widodo's statement indicates he is in a panic as recent polls show that with less than four weeks left to polling day, Prabowo has not increased his lead above the required 50 percent needed to win the race outright. “He's panicking, afraid of losing a run-off”, Mardani said.
Support for Prabowo is stagnating at 46-47 percent, according to the results of two surveys released last week, which makes a runoff in June likely.
Indonesia’s presidential election system requires a second round of voting between the top two candidates if no one wins more than 50 percent of the votes on election day. The runoff, if needed, is scheduled for June 26.
This could see the rival candidates joining forces to back either Pranowo or Baswedan.
The Civil Society Coalition for Clean Elections meanwhile condemned Widodo's statement as hurting democracy urging him to stay neutral and ensure the election is fair and transparent.
The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said Widodo's comments could encourage more abuse of authority noting that some ministers had already politicised social assistance (bansos) programs to benefit certain candidates.
“[Jokowi] has to make sure his subordinates follow the constitution”, and for that he has to be fair himself, said Kontras Coordinator Dimas Bagus Arya.
