TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto stated that he has no problem with the discourse of impeaching the president. However, he emphasized that the mechanism must adhere to democratic procedures in Indonesia.
Prabowo expressed his views during a speech at a working meeting with ministries, institutions, and state-owned enterprises at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. The Chair of the Gerindra Party initially discussed the consensus in Indonesia that chose democracy as the governing system.
Prabowo stated that the consensus for democracy has been reached since the era of the nation's founders. "So, brothers and sisters, in such conditions, we always adhere to significant consensuses. We have chosen to govern democratically. Democracy, sovereignty in the hands of the people. There's no problem," Prabowo said during his speech.
He mentioned that, in a democratic system, an inadequate government can be replaced. Prabowo stated that the best way to do so is through general elections, a good and peaceful mechanism.
Furthermore, he mentioned that another mechanism for changing the government in a democracy is through impeachment. "It's also possible through impeachment; there's no problem. But impeachment, yes, must go through the proper channels," said the former defense minister.
In the impeachment mechanism, Prabowo stated that various branches of power must be involved. This includes scrutiny by the Constitutional Court, the approval of the People's Consultative Assembly, and decision-making by the People's Consultative Assembly. "There are channels," Prabowo said.
Prabowo pointed out that several Indonesian presidents have been removed from office through impeachment. These include the First President, Sukarno, and the fourth president, Abdurrahman Wahid, also known as Gus Dur. Prabowo also mentioned Suharto, the second president, who peacefully resigned from his position after a series of demonstrations in 1998.
The issue of impeachment was raised after the founder of the Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC), Saiful Mujani, stated that the way to save Indonesia was to oust President Prabowo Subianto.
At the time, Saiful spoke at a gathering titled "Before Observers Are Straightened Out" at Beranda Utan Kayu on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. The event was held to foster camaraderie and facilitate discussion among observers from various backgrounds. In addition to Saiful Mujani, the event was also attended by Feri Amsari, Islah Bahrawi, and Ubedilah Badrun.
Saiful was the closing speaker at the forum. At that time, he stated that President Prabowo was not presidential. According to him, Prabowo was not receptive to suggestions for improvement.
"Advising Prabowo is ineffective. The only way is to bring him down. That's how we save, not to save Prabowo, but to save ourselves and the nation," Saiful said.
Saiful stated that bringing down Prabowo could not be done through formal procedures such as impeachment through the People's Consultative Assembly upon the proposal of the House of Representatives. According to him, the only way is for the public to consolidate to bring down Prabowo. "I think the alternative is not through formal procedures like impeachment. That won't work," Saiful said.
Several parties criticized Saiful's statement, including Hasan Nasbi. The former Chief of the Presidential Office considered the statement to have the potential to create provocation.
He believed that the statement was inappropriate in the current global context. Hasan saw a tendency to overthrow a legitimate government without going through a democratic process. "They claim to be champions of democracy, but they never want to understand the essence of democracy," Hasan said in his statement, as reported by Antara on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.
Hasan believed that impeaching a legitimate government without a constitutional process was an act of provocation and a violation of democracy. According to him, Saiful Mujani's actions in inciting the public to bring down Prabowo were based on personal feelings.
Subsequently, Saiful denied plotting against President Prabowo Subianto following his statement at a gathering with several observers. He described his statement as a political stance and participation expressed in front of many people. "The politics at the event mainly related to President Prabowo's performance," he said in his statement on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.
Saiful stated that his statement should be interpreted as a peaceful act. He claimed that political participation is often aimed at public interest in various forms.
Ervana Trikarinaputri and Novali Panji Nugroho contributed to this article
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