Amien Rais: Keep Prabowo in Office Until 2029

Former MPR RI Speaker Amien Rais has called on all elements of the nation to maintain national political stability by preserving the government of President Prabowo Subianto until his term of office ends on 20 October 2029. The Chairman of the Syuro Council of the Ummat Party stressed that the rhythm of power transition every five years is a mandate of the 1945 Constitution that must be respected to prevent unnecessary political shocks at the central level. “The rhythm of power transition every five years in accordance with the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia must be maintained so that no central government is brought down mid-term,” Amien said in an official statement via the Amien Rais Official YouTube channel, quoted on Friday (12/6). According to Amien, a government may only be toppled before its term expires if there are extraordinary reasons. He cited examples such as serious criminal acts like leaking state secrets to foreign parties for material reward, or involvement in a fatal moral scandal. Beyond such conditions, Amien believes President Prabowo Subianto must be given a fair chance to realise his eight priority programmes, or Astra Cita. These programmes encompass strengthening Panc democracy, fulfilling human rights, bolstering defence and security, creating jobs, and achieving gender equality. “Considering our political experience in the past, where in six years there were five presidents who came and went and all of them drained our national energy, let us give President Prabowo a fair chance, a reasonable opportunity. Let him work as hard as possible to realise his ideals until 20 October 2029,” he said. Amien underlined that in terms of constitutional law, the process of impeaching a head of state in Indonesia is highly complex. Based on Article 7B of the 1945 Constitution, an impeachment proposal must go through strict layered approval in the DPR, a 90-day evaluation at the Constitutional Court, and a final decision at the MPR. Looking at the current political constellation and parliamentary leadership, he considers the discourse of impeachment—whether against President Prabowo or Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka—to be nearly impossible. “Expecting DPR-MPR members to dare to force President Prabowo out, I feel that is impossible. No matter how angry we are at Gibran, with the current constellation of DPR-MPR leadership, carrying out an impeachment against Gibran is also extremely difficult,” said the 1998 Reformasi figure. He then recalled the dark memory of Indonesia’s political history during the 1998 to 2004 period. At that time, Indonesia experienced an odd situation with five presidents changing in a short time, which he said greatly drained national energy. Despite supporting Prabowo to complete his term, Amien did not deny deep concern over the current socio-economic situation. He said the nation’s condition is not good, marked by a wave of mass layoffs and sluggish economic activity in traditional markets. On that basis, he urged Prabowo and his cabinet ministers to stop flaunting luxury or engaging in entertainment activities that are insensitive to the people’s hardships. “Minimise as much as possible the party atmosphere among ministers. Especially Mr Prabowo, never dance again and be photographed like that, scenes of luxury broadcast to the public. The public’s reaction is uniformly angry,” he stressed. He fears that if economic pressures such as the weakening of the rupiah exchange rate and mass domestic withdrawals continue, it could trigger social unrest leading to a people power movement more ferocious than in 1998.