By: Prihatin Puji Astuti (Lecturer at Universitas Pamulang)
The critique launched by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) against President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s food estate initiative offers a rare glimpse into the workings of a robust democracy.
It emphasizes the importance of subjecting government programs, particularly those involving substantial financial investments, to rigorous scrutiny to ensure transparency, good governance, and accountability for taxpayers’ funds.
However, recent years have witnessed a lack of such scrutiny, largely due to the dominance of a coalition government comprising seven political parties. This coalition holds over 80 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives, resulting in a weakened system of checks and balances necessary for a well-functioning democracy.
Interestingly, the PDI-P, the largest party within this coalition, has taken an unusual stance by criticizing the government’s food estate program. They’ve specifically highlighted the environmental harm caused by extensive deforestation linked to large corporations involved in these food estate developments across the country.
The party’s secretary-general, Hasto Kristiyanto, has demanded a thorough investigation into allegations of misappropriation of food estate funds, potentially funneling money into the coffers of political parties.
This critique seems to be a strategic move by the PDI-P, occurring six months ahead of the presidential election. It signifies a deliberate distancing from President Jokowi and also serves as a jab at Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, a potential presidential candidate.
Notably, Prabowo’s ministry oversees a significant portion of the food estate program, and a contractor associated with Prabowo’s party, Gerindra, is involved in the initiative.
Moreover, the PDI-P’s potential presidential candidate, Ganjar Pranowo, a former Central Java Governor and a figurehead of the party, is notably in a tight competition with Prabowo in various public opinion polls.
The political maneuvering by the PDI-P, therefore, appears aimed at setting the stage for the upcoming presidential election.
This strategic move involves creating distance from the current president while concurrently challenging a potential rival by casting aspersions on their affiliations within the controversial food estate program.
