February 14, 2025
Jakarta – It has been unsettling to see the latest developments in the House of Representatives.
Experts have warned of the dominance of a coalition of parties supporting President Prabowo Subianto, which controls more than half of the seats in the legislature. Without clear opposition, the coalition led by Prabowo’s own party, Gerindra, was almost completely unchallenged.
The latest case involves amendments to internal rules to allow lawmakers to assess and fire senior appointed officials. This includes leaders of nearly all the country's highest government agencies, including the Supreme Court's Supreme Court's Justice and the Constitutional Court and the Commission on Eliminating Corruption (KPK).
The move shocked judges, civil society groups and even some legislators, who said it was equivalent to overturning the legislation, contrary to the principle of separation of power and checks and balances, perhaps in the autocratic regime under Prabowo On the road.
This raises the question of Gerindra and the President himself as party chairmen’s commitment to the country’s democracy. The unanimous approval of internal rules changes by the House of Representatives shows that the intention of the pro-Probvo party is to expand its powers and conquer other institutions to put the president and the legislature under control.
At least, Gerindra and other political parties have become disappointed, if not a threat to the country. It is very painful to consider that lawmakers and the president themselves are in power through democratic elections.
After his first 100 days, Prabowo has an 81% public approval rate, which is not possible even his predecessor, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. It's all the fact that the president has been working to improve the program and is still in financial trouble to push the clumsy cabinet and his free nutritional meal plan.
Unlike Jokowi's first year, Prabowo does not have to face challenges from other political parties to get his plan approved. Prabowo undoubtedly paved the way for the amendment of the State-owned Enterprises Act to establish the Indonesian Investment Authority (IAI) Danantara, despite the agency’s criticism of the ineffective and ambiguous position in SOES.
Prabowo and Gerindra believe that the people have borrowed overwhelming legislative and executive powers.
There is no emergency that can prove that the president or the legislature has more power. They have all the strength and resources they need, and if they can’t make the most of it, it will be their own failure.
Houses do not need to control senior public officials in the country. Changes in rule by legislators should be seen as an infringement of independence of government institutions, and the public has many reasons to doubt its goodwill.
We are concerned that the new rules will be used to target officials considered political targets of Prabowo and Grindra.
We fear that the new rules will be used to intimidate Constitutional judges who have made several rulings to address the interests of the ruling coalition.
In August, the House tried to cover the court's ruling on candidate nominations under the Regional Elections Act. Although lawmakers successfully rush through the deliberation process, they were blocked by large-scale national protests in support of the Constitutional Court.
If the latest housing rules don’t reverse, we have reason to believe it will recall the justices who do not meet the wishes of the alliance.
If that day comes, we will be forced to question whether Indonesia can still be called a democracy.
