Egi Adyatama, Jakarta – Constitutional law expert from Jentera School of Law, Bivitri Susanti, opined that the government should not remain silent in responding to the conflict of the Democrat Party. The government, she added, has the responsibility to keep democracy going well.

"It is not correct to say that this [conflict] is an internal affair of the party. To me, the country must carry out its responsibility to preserve democracy," said Bivitri in an online discussion, Sunday, March 7.

She mentioned that the party's extraordinary congress or KLB held in Deli Serdang tapped the Presidential Chief of Staff, Moeldoko, as the new chairman. This asserted that Moeldoko is part of the state and directly under President Jokowi.

Besides, the Democrat Party did not partake in the government's coalition. That said, this could minimize the opposition role in democracy, while it plays an important role as the main critic of government policies.

"There will be no balancing force, so the power runs without control. This has already happened [which reflects from] the revision of KPK Law, Mining Law, Job Creation Law, and the implementation of the regional head election (Pilkada) during the pandemic," Bivitri explained.

She asserted that the government could not hide behind the argument that what it said an internal conflict of the Democrat Party was similar to the National Awakening Party (PKB) conflict during the era of Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). Bivitri recalled that the past conflict did not involve outsiders.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1439877/govt-urged-not-to-stay-quiet-about-democrat-party-conflic