Muhammad Fakhruddin, Jakarta – In the lead-up to the 2024 presidential elections, discussions about the impeachment of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo have surfaced, prompting scrutiny as many perceive it as an unusual development.
Former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) Jimly Asshiddiqie expressed his skepticism on X (formerly Twitter). "It's strange; a month before the elections, there's talk of impeaching the president," Jimly tweeted on Sunday.
Jimly suggests that the likelihood of impeaching President Jokowi appears slim unless this discourse is tactically employed to redirect focus, potentially driven by his rivals' concerns about potential defeat in the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election. Jokowi is perceived as endorsing the presidential candidacy of Prabowo Subianto and his eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka. In the electoral race, Prabowo faces opposition from Anies Baswedan, while Ganjar Pranowo, belonging to the same political party as Jokowi, PDIP, is also in contention.
"In one month (before the Feb. 14 voting day), it's impossible to secure the official stance of two-thirds of the DPR (House of Representatives) members and garner the support of two-thirds of the MPR members (People's Consultative Assembly) after going through the Constitutional Court," Jimly said.
Regarding the impeachment discourse, the professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Indonesia, called on all parties to focus on ensuring a smooth and safe 2024 elections. "Let's concentrate on ensuring the success of the elections," urged Jimly.
Earlier, the impeachment discourse gained traction when Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud Md met with 22 figures from Petisi 100 at his office. "They are calling for the impeachment of President Jokowi, requesting elections without President Jokowi," he said at the Ministry of Political, Legal, and Security Affairs office in Jakarta on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024.
Mahfud welcomed the Petisi 100 members and outlined five conditions that must be met for the impeachment of a president.
"If someone wants to do that, they are welcome to try. However, based on the Constitution, there are five conditions for impeaching a president. First, the president is involved in corruption, bribery, commits severe abuse, or serious crimes, such as murder or the like," Mahfud explained in Surabaya on Wednesday.
"Then, the fourth is violating the state's ideology. The fifth is violating decency, ethics, and so on," he added.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/jokowi-impeachment-scenarios-raise-eyebrows-as-election-day-near