Tom Lembong explains that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), elected in the 2004 Presidential Election and serving as president for 10 years, represented an antithesis to Megawati. #kbanews
JAKARTA | KBA – The 2024 General Election (Pemilu) is not just a contest between candidate pairs vying for public votes or support. Instead, the 2024 Election symbolizes a battle between elements of society advocating for change and those supporting the status quo.
“What is happening now is not just an election contest. It is truly a battle between reformist, progressive, technocratic elements of society and those who are pro status quo, static, conservative, aiming to prevent change,” explained Tom Lembong, Co-Captain of the Anies-Muhaimin (AMIN) National Team, in a podcast on the YouTube channel @Abraham Samad SPEAK UP, as quoted by KBA News, Saturday, February 24, 2024.
“But again, change is inevitable if we desire progress. There’s no progress without change,” continued Thomas Trikasih Lembong.
He is optimistic that this spirit of change will win the 2024 Presidential Election contest. Democracy always brings novelty or refreshment after society’s fatigue towards a regime, as seen in Western countries.
“Progressive (parties) may rule for 10 years, say. But eventually, they go too far, become tired, no longer fresh, and switch to the fresh opposition. The opposition, having rested for a long time, brings new ideas,” said the former Minister of Trade.
“And if conservative (parties) after 10 or 7 years of ruling become tired, eventually, there’s a switch again. That’s the beauty of democracy; there’s always refreshment. Because every 10 years, there’s an automatic change,” added the Harvard University, USA, alumnus.
He believes this also occurs in Indonesia, especially after the reform era, with transitions from the government of Megawati Soekarnoputri, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to Joko Widodo.
“If we look at Indonesia’s history, every 10 years, the pendulum swings back,” he revealed.
He explained that SBY, elected in the 2004 Presidential Election and serving as president for 10 years, was the antithesis of Megawati, who led Indonesia for three years, 2001-2004. SBY was chosen because the public viewed him as capable of addressing various acts of terror and unrest prevalent during Megawati’s era.
“But after 10 years of Mr. SBY’s administration, the economy didn’t grow, infrastructure wasn’t built. So, we needed someone like Mr. Jokowi at that time. Thus, the pendulum swung back. So, Mr. Jokowi is really the antithesis of Mr. SBY,” he revealed.
“Now, actually, the universe wants the pendulum to swing back to Jokowi’s antithesis,” he added.
The public desires a figure different from President Jokowi. According to Lembong, Jokowi has changed from his original democratic self, prioritizing meritocracy as when first elected.
This was evident from the voting results on February 14, 2024. From his data, the majority of the Indonesian people chose the path of change, not supporting Prabowo-Gibran, the candidate pair promoting continuity supported by Jokowi.
“Again, I don’t want to speak too soon. But looking at various data, it’s clear that combining (voters) from 01 and 03, they are indeed the majority of the society,” he asserted.
“Is Anies the antithesis of Mr. Jokowi?” asked Abraham Samad, who hosted the podcast.
“Definitely,” replied Tom Lembong.
He implied that supporters of candidate pairs 01 Anies-Muhaimin and 03 Ganjar-Pranowo would unite in the second round against Prabowo-Gibran. Anies-Muhaimin, who placed second after Prabowo-Gibran in the first round, will be the ones to contest Prabowo-Gibran.
Coalitions 01 and 03 will defeat Prabowo-Gibran because half of the society wants change.
“Once again, Mr. Anies now symbolizes change. It depends on discussions between factions 01 and 03. He might become the leader of more than half of our society, which, in my opinion, the data shows, stands on the side of change,” concluded Tom Lembong.
As known, according to quick counts by all survey institutions and the provisional real count conducted by the KPU, Prabowo-Gibran leads significantly with votes
above 50 percent, enabling a one-round victory. Meanwhile, Anies-Muhaimin and Ganjar-Mahfud are in second and third places, respectively. However, many believe Prabowo-Gibran’s lead is due to fraud and government bias.
The camps of Anies-Muhaimin and Ganjar-Mahfud MD are reportedly collaborating to expose such fraud, including through the right of inquiry in the DPR RI.
As for President Jokowi, in response to various allegations of fraud, he has invited legal challenges through official channels.
“So don’t shout about fraud. If there’s evidence, take it to the Bawaslu. If there’s evidence, take it to the Constitutional Court,” said President Jokowi at JIExpo Kemayoran, on Thursday, February 15, 2024. (kba)