Jokowi faces first major political crisis

JAKARTA, Indonesia – He hasn’t been in office 100 days, but President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo – the man of the people who was swept into office on a promise that he would bring genuine change – now finds himself in his first major political crisis.

His nomination of graft-tainted Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan on January 9 as the next chief of the Indonesian National Police – widely seen as a concession to his political patrons – angered anti-graft activists.

But that the president hasn’t moved to withdraw Budi’s nomination since the latter was named a corruption suspect on January 13 has now enraged his loyal supporters and volunteers.

On Thursday, January 15, the day House of Representatives decided Budi was still fit to be appointed police chief despite the corruption scandal, the hashtag #ShameOnYouJokowi trended on Twitter in Indonesia. 

The hashtag was spread not only by critics but by the same supporters and volunteers who led to his historic victory in the July 2014 presidential elections.

The tweet below, for example, shows the historic image of Jokowi appearing before tens of thousands supporters in a concert a few days before the elections – a key turning point in the race. The caption says, “Bapak has completely forgotten this?”

Bpk benar-benar lupa dengan ini? #ShameOnYouJokowi @jokowi_do2 cc @PartaiSocmed pic.twitter.com/3sgPE8RTSJ

— HATE FASCISM (@AnggiRanggaUtm) January 15, 2015

On Change.org, a petition asking Jokowi to withdraw Budi’s nomination has more than 27,000 signatures as of Thursday evening. 

There are also plans among volunteers to take to the streets should Jokowi proceed with appointing Budi as police chief. 

“Remember, without the support of non-partisan people, Jokowi won’t be elected president,” said an SMS sent to State Secretary Pratikno late on Wednesday evening by activist and journalist Ulin Yusron.

Caught between the people and his patrons

On the campaign trail, Jokowi pledged several times that he would not trade government appointments for political support – a promise many found to be naive.

The naysayers have since proved to be correct, with almost half of Jokowi’s 34-member cabinet composed of so-called professional political party members. Among his more controversial appointees is Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu, who has a questionable human rights record, but is known to be close to former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, the president’s political patron and chair of his party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Critics see the same political play behind the nomination of Budi, who was an adjutant of Megawati. But support for the 55-year-old general seems to come from several parties, including the NasDem Party led by media mogul Surya Paloh, another strong Jokowi supporter, and the opposition Golkar Party. This explains how he was able to easily pass the House of Representatives’ fit and proper test.

So what’s Jokowi to do now? The powerful Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) promised to arrest Budi soon. The anti-graft agency has a 100% conviction rate and has remained consistent to its practice of not naming someone a suspect withouth 2 strong pieces of evidence. 

That seems to leave Jokowi with little choice but to withdraw Budi’s nomination.

The ball is in his court, and both the people and his political patrons are waiting for his move. But his supporters say they hope he remembers who he owes his victory to. – with reports from Pamela Sarnia and Febriana Firdaus/Rappler.com