UNAIR NEWS – Since the election in February, the Prabowo-Gibran pair has generated a lot of controversy. The controversies that led to political conflicts occurred both before and after Prabowo-Gibran was declared the president and vice president of Indonesia. Recently, Prabowo Subianto surprised the public again with his plan to form a Presidents’ Club. As the President-elect, it is appropriate for Prabowo to have policies that he will implement during his presidency. Forming a Presidents’ Club seems to be the first policy that Prabowo wants to realize.
The plan to form a Presidents’ Club has drawn pros and cons from politicians and society. The President’s Club could be a threat or a beneficial innovation. Therefore, FISIP UNAIR Political Science Lecturer Drs Haryadi MSi shared his views regarding Prabowo’s discourse.
According to him, the formation of the Presidents’ Club is the best idea in bridging the previous presidents with the elected president. The Presidents’ Club can be a new breakthrough that can benefit the society and the government.
Program sustainability
According to him, ongoing presidential programs often end at the end of the term. There is no guarantee that the president-elect will continue the project if the previous president was unable to complete it.
The lack of continuity leads to waste. The number of abandoned projects in the previous administration is considered a waste of the state budget.
“We need a bridge to connect the old president with the new president. This bridge will keep them meeting and exchanging ideas,” he said.
“Because without continuity, the society will be disadvantaged again. For example, the Hambalang project, the result is just a waste of money. In the end, it is still the society that is harmed because the funds must also include taxes from the society,” added Haryadi.
Presidents’ Club have been formed in many other countries such as the United States. Haryadi fully supports the formation of the President’s Club. Good relations between presidents can encourage the continuity of development from the previous president to the new president.
“In other countries, it already exists. There is such a thing as a presidential journal book that is passed on to the next president to maintain continuity. This is the advantage of the Presidents’ Club. Homework that has not been completed by the old president can be done by the new president,” said Haryadi.
“But don’t let the Presidents’ Club become just an afternoon tea forum. This forum must be formalized, at least with the legal protection of a Presidential Regulation. So, its implementation can run as expected,” he said.
Author: FISIP UNAIR
Editor: Feri Fenoria
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