Calls
for Jokowi to explain controversial decisions
With
his approval rating hitting the lowest point yet since his inauguration last
month, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo must ensure he provides the public with
clear and transparent reasoning behind some of his recent controversial
decisions, to avoid growing doubt over his administration, analysts have said.
Although
Jokowi had discussed his plan to reallocate the fuel subsidy immediately after
his inauguration, political researcher Rully Akbar from Jakarta-based pollster
the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI), considered that Jokowi’s decision to
execute the plan last week was “too soon”.“Technically speaking, many people at
all economic levels are still unable to understand the reasoning behind the
government’s decision [to increase fuel prices],” Rully told The Jakarta Post
on Sunday.
“Even
after Jokowi stepped up to announce the hike himself, such a non-populist
decision will impact on him as the highest decision maker.”
Less
than a month after assuming the country’s highest political office, Jokowi
increased the prices of subsidized fuel on Nov. 17 to reallocate
ever-increasing funds spent on fuel subsidies to finance the government’s
development programs.
Speaking
in a press conference at the Presidential Palace, Jokowi said the price of
subsidized Premium gasoline would increase from Rp 6,500 (53 US cents) per
liter to Rp 8,500, while the price of diesel would be raised from Rp 5,500 to Rp
7,500 per liter. Kerosene remained unchanged at Rp 2,500 per liter.In a nationwide
survey held from Nov. 18 to 19, the LSI found that 44.94 percent of its 1,200
respondents said they were dissatisfied with Jokowi’s leadership. The survey,
held in 33 out of the country’s 34 provinces, had a margin of error of +/- 2.9
percent.
Jokowi
and running mate Jusuf Kalla garnered 53.2 percent of the vote in this year’s
presidential election, prompting Rully to consider Jokowi’s current approval
rating as “alarming”.Jokowi, who promised to support the battle against
corruption and the judicial mafia, also surprised many legal and human rights
activists by installing former NasDem Party lawmaker HM Prasetyo as attorney
general on Thursday, instead of a non-political appointee.
Jokowi
has also been criticized for keeping Prasetyo’s vetting process under wraps.The
director of Gadjah Mada University’s Center for Anticorruption Studies (Pukat)
in Yogyakarta, Zainal Arifin Mochtar, urged Jokowi to publicly explain the
reasoning behind Prasetyo’s appointment, otherwise the public would assume that
he had bowed to political pressure instead of a larger public interest.
“With
his prerogative right, the President can use any method to pick his attorney
general. However, it is also important for the public to know why their
President chose him [Prasetyo] over other, highly qualified candidates,” he
said.
The
President’s declining popularity has also prompted movie producer KK Dheeraj to
delay the screening of a movie titled Jokowi Adalah Kita (Jokowi is Us), slated
to hit cinemas on Nov. 20.
“[We]
have delayed the screening. The fuel price increases have heated up the
political situation, so we will wait,” Dheeraj said on the official website of
the 21 Cineplex theater chain.
Meanwhile,
the Golkar Party faction at the House of Representatives is rallying support
for an inquiry into the President’s decision.
“We
want to know the calculation [on the rising fuel prices]. We are gathering
support for the inquiry from all party factions,” said Golkar faction’s
secretary Bambang Soesatyo, as quoted by Antara news agency.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/11/24/calls-jokowi-explain-controversial-decisions.html
1.Jokowi has also been criticized for keeping
Prasetyo’s vetting process under wraps {PRESENT
PARTICIPLES AFTER VERBS OF PERCEPTION Present participles can be used after
verbs of perception in the pattern verb + object + present participle to
indicate the action being perceived.)
2. Speaking in a press conference at the
Presidential Palace (GERUNDS
The gerund always has the same function as a noun, although it looks like a
verb. It can be used in the same way as a noun. A GERUND AS THE SUBJECT OF THE
SENTENCE)
3.Less than a month after assuming the country’s
highest political office (PRESENT
PARTICIPLES AS ADJECTIVES)
