The Correct Direction: Implementing the Islamic System under the Caliphate
(Translated)
News:
On August 25, 2025, a demonstration broke out in front of the Indonesian Parliament building. The crowd expressed a number of demands related to economic and legal issues. This resulted from an increase in deputies' allowances of 50 million Indonesian rupiahs per month, which is ten times the minimum wage in Jakarta. On August 26, 2025, demonstrations also broke out in Medan, and on August 27, protesters led by the Executive Board of Tanjungpura University students stormed the building. On Thursday, August 28, thousands of protesters, mostly university students, political activists, high school and vocational school students, and members of labor unions, clashed in Jakarta, and one protester was injured after being run over by a police "armored car" to death. On the same day, at least ten different regions were subjected to repression. The killing of these protesters sparked public anger. The next day, August 29, 2025, the homes of a number of officials were looted, and the demonstrations continued until September 3, 2025. Then, between September 4 and 6, 2025, various segments of society issued 25 demands for change, known as the "17+8 Demands." In response to these demands, President Prabowo Subianto conducted a cabinet reshuffle on September 8, 2025, to meet these demands. Later, on September 19, 2025, he conducted a second cabinet reshuffle.
Comment:
The overwhelming demands for change led to at least three types. The first type is the demand to return to the original 1945 Constitution. The second type is to maintain the amended 1945 Constitution, often known as the 2002 Constitution. The third type is the demand to continue applying the current system with some changes, as in the "17+8 Demands."
In fact, the demand to return to the original 1945 Constitution is very problematic. From the old order to the new order, this constitution was applied, but the result was autocratic leadership, cartels controlled the economy, and the people lived under repression and misery. For this reason, the reform movement emerged in 1998. Then, amendments were made to the 1945 Constitution several times until it became the current 2002 Constitution. So what happened? Reality shows that these amendments led to the birth of liberal democracy in the political sphere and neoliberalism in the economic sphere.
In the political context, the president finds it difficult to form a stable government without a broad coalition; and the emergence of a parliamentary presidential system that tends to political compromises and the circulation of power. This has led to costly policies, political pragmatism, and undermined the principle of deliberation. As a result, political individualism, money politics, conflict between institutions, and a lack of mutual cooperation have emerged. Furthermore, the amendments created many new institutions (the Constitutional Court, the Judicial Commission, the Regional Representative Council, etc.). Instead of being effective, they increased the complexity and duplication of powers and the frequent conflict between state institutions.
Economically, the amendments have opened up greater scope for economic liberalization and privatization, and have placed power in the hands of the oligarchy. Currently, the oligarchy known as the "Nine Dragons" (nine oligarchies) dominates Indonesia's economy and politics. On the other hand, the "17+8" demands focused more on replacing certain individuals or modifying the government. In reality, the system being applied is still capitalist.
These three types of demands for change only replace individuals or systems, while the prevailing economic and political systems remain the same: capitalism and democracy, emanating from secularism (separation of religion from life and the state). Therefore, it is not surprising that systems continue to change, while the people remain marginalized!
In fact, there is another direction for change: a direction that seeks to resume Islamic life through the comprehensive application of Islamic Sharia under the auspices of the Caliphate. In this Islamic system, the rulings and laws do not come from humans, but from God Almighty. Therefore, the applied rulings and laws are necessarily just because they come from God Almighty, the Just. This is certainly different from the rulings and laws emanating from secularism, which are full of contradictions and injustice. On the other hand, the implementers of this Islamic system are those pious individuals who fear God Almighty, who will apply the laws because they are the rulings of God Almighty. Therefore, it is not surprising that this Islamic system ruled the world for 13 centuries. So why isn't this direction towards implementing the Islamic system under the Caliphate an option?
Written for the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir Central
Muhammad Rahmat Kurnia - Indonesia
