Indonesia election 2024: Jokowi accused of ‘abuse of power’ after he claims to spy on political parties

“And that [information] only belongs to the president, as it was directly reported to me,” he said.

Two dozen political parties, including Widodo’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), have qualified for next year’s elections.

Wahyudi Djafar, human rights lawyer and executive director of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam), likened Widodo’s spying acts to Watergate, as Nixon also spied on his rivals during election campaigns.

“During Watergate, the US Senate conducted an investigation, and finally asked [Nixon] to resign, and there was even a proposal for impeachment. At that time, the [surveillance] was done ahead of the election, during the campaign period. This is the same context. There will be an election in Indonesia in 2024. What [Widodo] said has something to do with the 2024 election,” Wahyudi said.

“This should be a consideration for the House of Representatives to use the right to ask questions to clarify this matter to the president.”

On Tuesday, Widodo doubled down on his claims, saying that reading the intelligence agencies’ reports and other kinds of statistics “is my daily breakfast”.

Widodo, who is barred by the constitution to seek a third term, has not been discreet about his intentions in determining his successor, who will be decided by national polls in February next year.

In May, the leader said in a party meeting that he “will meddle [in the election] in the interests of the nation and state”. The Presidential Staff Office later clarified that Widodo meant to say that he would meddle to ensure that the elections will be carried out freely and openly and that his successor will continue Widodo’s legacy programmes such as building the new capital and banning exports of raw critical minerals.

This time, mixed reactions came swiftly from political parties, including from within Widodo’s own PDI-P.

Said Abdullah, a member of parliament from PDI-P, asked why Widodo needed to know the goings-on of rival parties.

“As political parties we have autonomy, we have sovereignty, we are not enemies of the state. Our president is a PDI-P cadre, we fully support him, but our support is critical and constructive. If there is something that needs reminding, we will remind [him],” he said on Monday.

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Indonesian president Widodo admits historical rights violations in the country

Indonesian president Widodo admits historical rights violations in the country

Masinton Pasaribu, another PDI-P lawmaker, said it was normal for the president to be fed intelligence data, including the internal goings-on within political parties.

Mohammad Mahfud, coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, echoed the statement.

“The president definitely has intelligence, who are the bad politicians, and who are the right politicians … what’s the point of having intelligence if you can’t report it to the president?” Mahfud told reporters on Sunday, adding that Widodo has not broken any laws.

Nixon and Suharto

Indonesian intelligence agencies do have the obligation to report to the president, but about enemies of the state and national security affairs, not political parties and civilians, argues the Civil Society Coalition For Security Sector Reform, a group of 12 civil and rights groups, citing the country’s 2011 Intelligence Law.

“We consider this to be a serious problem in democratic life in Indonesia. In a democratic country, it is not permissible for the president and his intelligence apparatus to make political parties the objects and targets of intelligence monitoring,” the coalition said in a statement, calling Widodo’s action as a potential “abuse of power”.

“We consider this to be a form of political scandal and a serious problem in democracy, so it must be thoroughly investigated. Therefore, it is appropriate for the House of Representatives to summon the president and related intelligence agencies to explain this issue to the public clearly.”

Widodo’s party coalition now consists of 471 seats in the House, or 81.9 per cent of the total 575 seats.

Wahyudi Djafar of Elsam said Widodo’s use of intelligence to spy on political parties resembles the method deployed by former dictator Suharto to stifle dissent and maintain law and order.

Under Suharto’s rule, intelligence moles were placed within political parties and mass organisations such as Nahdlatul Ulama, the country’s largest moderate Muslim group, to ensure that their activities were in line with Suharto’s mission and vision.

“We have long experience in the past during the New Order, when state intelligence was used in such a way to protect the government in power with dark intelligence practices. That’s what we avoid and limit with the existence of the Intelligence Law,” Wahyudi said.

Election timing

Questions are also rising if Widodo intended to scare off political parties to influence the shape of party coalitions ahead of the 2024 elections.

“Is the data really being used [to ensure] state security? Or is it used to scare political party chairmen in order to influence the intensity and direction of the coalition? It seems as if the president acts like a political broker,” said Pangi Syarwi Chaniago, executive director at Jakarta-based pollster Voxpol.

According to a poll released by Voxpol on August 2, more than 77 per cent of 1,200 respondents agreed that Widodo must maintain neutrality in the coming elections, and 59 per cent disagree with his meddling.

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For Wahyudi Djafar of Elsam, Widodo’s admission could hurt the electability of the presidential candidate that he endorses, though Widodo has not named any.

“If the candidate supported by Jokowi wins, it cannot be ruled out that he wins because of Jokowi’s intervention. Political parties must respond critically to this, not normalising it,” he said.