Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta (UMJ) held an online webinar on Thursday (30/06). The webinar raised the theme “Political Party Reformation, Strengthening Its Role As The Pillar of Democracy”. The Master program of Political Science (MIPOL) of the Social and Political Science (FISIP) UMJ organized the webinar by inviting various speakers, including academicians, practitioners, and students. They were Habib Aboe Bakar Al Habsyi SE, the General Secretary of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) 2020-2025; Zulfikar Arse Sadikin SIP MSi, the Indonesia House of Representative of Functional Groups Party (Golkar); Chusnul Mar’iyah PhD, the lecturer of Master degree in Political Science UMJ; and Iqbal Hafsari SPd, the student Master degree in Political Science.

The theme represented the current political condition in Indonesia. Dr Asep Setiawan MA, the Chairman of the Master’s program in Political Science started by explaining the function of the political party. “The political party becomes a part of infrastructures that produce strong cadres with a global and visionary perspective. People will experience the existence,” he said. Furthermore, the political party can play an important role in the political system, as the connector between government and people,” he said.

Aboe Bakar criticized the political party that had not played its role optimally. In line with Aboe Bakar, Chusnul Mar’iyah PhD also questioned the political party’s position to respond Aboe Bakar’s statement that the party has an essential role in channeling the people and its government. Afterward, Zulfikar Arse Sadikin also mentioned the nonoptimal function of political parties was caused by several factors, including the modernization of elite fragmentation and the country’s intervention. “We have to return the party to the modernization aspect. So the political party is not only the infrastructure but also the superstructure,” Zulfikar said. Also, Iqbal Hafsari SPd mentioned several problems of political parties.