100 Days in Office; Ma'ruf Amin's Role Yet Significant: Pollster

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Parameter Politik Indonesia highlighted the performance of Vice President Ma'ruf Amin during his 100 days in the office along with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. The pollster executive director Adi Prayitno assessed that the VP had not shown significant performance yet in the government.

“Kiai Ma'ruf has not yet performed a significant role as a vice president,” Adi told Tempo on Tuesday, January 28.

According to Adi, Ma'ruf tended to be silent on big issues that grabbed the public spotlight, such as the weakening of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The VP even seemed to have yet taken the role of his expertise.

“Do not let the public think that Pak Kiai merely acts as a political shield to tackle the anti-Islam allegations shot to Jokowi during the presidential election,” said the lecturer of political communication at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta.

Adi did not deny that Ma'ruf ’s place seemed to be taken over by the cabinet ministers. For example, radicalism issues were often brought up by the ministers, rather than Ma’ruf.

On the other hand, Adi went on that the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) non-active chairman was initially expected to spread the practice of Islam Nusantara and moderate Islam in the archipelago. Yet, Jokowi’s ministers still narrated that radicalism is the country’s current threat. 

“When the ministers talk of radicalism, it is like appointing the VP who is considered to have a poor job,” Adi said.

Jokowi and Ma'ruf Amin were inaugurated as the President and Vice President for the 2019-2024 period on October 20, 2019. The two have undergone their 100 days in the office per Monday, January 27.

BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI