JakartaPost-Aug 13
The renewed People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) plan to revive now-defunct state policy guidelines has sparked concerns of opening a Pandora’s box that would further undermine the country’s democratic condition. After dropping the plan last year to introduce the so-called state policy outlines (PPHN) amid public concern that the process could be used to extend then-president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s tenure, the MPR recently revived the proposal to steer national development over the next 50 to 100 years. The process to introduce the PPHN, a clear echo of the now-defunct state policy guidelines (GBHN) of the authoritarian New Order era, could trigger the first constitutional changes since four amendments from 1999 to 2002 that marked the nation’s democratic transition after Soeharto’s fall. Critics feared that it could snowball into wider changes, including reinstating the MPR’s status as the nation’s highest authority and restoring its long-removed power to appoint the president. Fajri Nursyamsi from the Indonesian Centre for Law and Policy Studies (PSHK) said the guidelines have lost relevance following four constitutional amendments that strengthened the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches. He also noted that the 1998 reforms replaced the GBHN with long- and medium-term development plans (RPJPN and RPJMN), which were enacted through legislation, and stripped the MPR of its status as the highest authority to prevent any single institution from unseating presidents without due process. “Reintroducing policy guidelines risks political maneuvering and power imbalances,” Fajri said, pointing out that the GBHN was used by the New Order regime to both justify the removal of presidents, including Sukarno and Abdurrahman Wahid, and shield others, such as Soeharto, from dismissal.
Constitutional law expert Yance Arizona criticized the lack of transparency in the drafting process, saying there is no clarity on how the document was prepared or what it contained. He said there was no urgency to introduce guidelines, saying the plan risked restoring the New Order-era political structure, which placed the MPR as the highest authority. “Ultimately, it could pave the way for returning to presidential selection by the MPR,” he said. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2025/08/13/renewed-plan-to-reinstate-new-order-style-state-guidelines-draws-flak.html.
