Political observer, Eep Saefulloh Fatah.
JAKARTA, JAKTIMES.COM – The political dynasty issue following the Constitutional Court’s decision regarding the presidential and vice-presidential candidate requirements has received mixed responses from the public. Despite the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the constitutional challenge to the candidate requirements, some of the public still associate it with the current rulers.
Founder and CEO of Polmark Indonesia, Eep Saefulloh Fatah, said that serious political processes when producing disappointing policies or decisions for the public are not solely based on logic but also on emotions.
“There are two processes that break in political communication, a broken heart or broken logic. If the heart is broken, it’s difficult to heal in a short period. So, a broken heart cannot be cured in just the 4 or 5 months left [until the Presidential Election on February 14, 2024],” Eep said in the Abraham Samad Speak Up podcast, which aired on YouTube on Thursday (26/10/2023).
He explained that the three presidential and vice-presidential candidate pairs have a few months ahead of them. However, in his view, the political process is not just about campaigning. The most important political process takes place within each individual. Every voter digests what is happening around them, which becomes the basis for their decision.
“In the final moments when they have to decide something, then in a few seconds, a part of themselves says, ‘That’s what I’m going to do,’ that’s the hearts of the voters. That’s what will work in the 2024 election and will lead people to the polling stations,” he explained.
Eep speculates that the presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair supported by President Jokowi, Prabowo-Gibran, could be seen as part of the process that breaks voters’ hearts. President Jokowi, as the head of state, has emphasized his support for all presidential and vice-presidential candidate pairs.
“Perhaps that pair won’t make it to the second round. Perhaps in the second round, we will see Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD competing against Anies Baswedan-Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar.”
Eep emphasized that this projection could be wrong. “I could be wrong here; I’m not a fortune teller or a prophet. If President Jokowi wants to scold me for saying this, it’s okay. Getting scolded by the president is an honor for me,” he concluded (Marwan Azis).
