REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, CIKARANG -- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) insisted that there is no absolute power in Indonesia.
"I need to say that currently, there is no absolute power. There is the press, media, non-governmental organizations, and political parties that are monitoring the House of Representatives (DPR), and the supervision comes from all quarters, and the people can also directly supervise," Jokowi noted in Cikarang, West Java, on Friday.
The statement was delivered in response to a message from former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who stated that those in power should not abuse their position indefinitely.
"Power must not go unchecked. It means we must ensure that power holders do not exceed the limits while using their authority, so there will be no abuse of power. We learn many lessons in this country. For instance, if power holders exceed the limits in the use of power or abuse their power, the people then exercise their right to correct the government," Yudhoyono had stated on Thursday.
Jokowi also believed that there is no absolute power in Indonesia, including when the government issued Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) Number 2 of 2017 on Mass Organizations.
"I also need to say that the Perppu is the product of the law, and there is also a mechanism in place for issuing the Perppu. After the president issued the Perppu, there are other mechanisms in the DPR, such as the democratic mechanism and approval from the factions. It means that there is no absolute power," he stated.
Jokowi assessed that the statement by certain parties hinting at absolute power in the country was exaggerated.
"(The statement) is very exaggerated, as the Perppu will be assessed by the council. If there is a party that does not approve the regulation, it could propose it to the Constitutional Court. We are a democratic state and a law-based country, so the process is very open. If there is a demo, that is okay. Hence, do not overestimate things that really do not exist," he emphasized.
Jokowi considered the meeting of Democratic Party Chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Gerindra Party Chairman Prabowo Soebianto as an ordinary event.
"Meetings among the nation's figures and parties are common and good. However, I need to say that, as a nation, we have agreed democratically to resolve every difference and problem through deliberation and consensus," he said.
The Perppu was the amendment to Law Number 17 of 2013 on Community Organizations.
The regulation was issued since the government viewed that Law Number 17 of 2013 was no longer sufficient to prevent the spread of ideologies that are contrary to Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.
Based on the Perppu, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights has the authority to revoke or cancel the legal status of organizations that are believed to run counter to Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, including the revocation of the legal entity of Hizbut Tharir Indonesia (HTI) on July 19, 2017.
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