Dynastic politics spark nationwide protests

On August 22, thousands of students, workers, urban poor and middle class people demonstrated across Indonesia. streets to protest the adoption of a law cancel a decision The bill was rejected by the Constitutional Court (MK) two days ago. A few days ago, President Joko Widodo expressed doubts about its adoption.

The Constitutional Court's decision was made in response to two cases submitted to it. The first case was submitted by the Labor Party and the Indonesian People's Wave Party. In its decision on this case, the Court stated: lowering the threshold for membership in political parties to nominate candidates for elections of provincial and district executive heads: governors, mayors and residents (regent). Elections for these positions are held in November, a month after President Joko Widodo stepped down. Previously, only a party or coalition of parties holding 20% ​​of the seats in local legislatures or 25% of the vote could nominate candidates. The MK ruling reduced the threshold to between 6.5% and 10% depending on the size of the electorate's population. Under the new threshold, parties are no longer required to have won seats.

Coalitions would no longer be necessary for some parties to nominate candidates in many provinces and districts.

Parties that do not have potential coalition partners, such as the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which is currently outside the pro-Widodo coalition, could field candidates. For example, the PDI-P could able to present a candidate The PDI-P was elected by the people, but the threshold is only 7% of the vote. Among the parties represented in the various parliaments, it is the party that would benefit the most from the court decision. There is a political war between the PDI-P and President Joko Widodo following the president's support for Prabowo Subianto's presidential candidacy against the PDI-P candidate, Ganjar Pranowo. The sense of betrayal felt by the PDI-P leadership and members is palpable, as Widodo was nominated twice by the party and was supposed to be a member of the PDI-P.

Second, in a second case brought by two students, the Court refused to change THE age qualifications French for candidates. The Supreme Court ruled that candidates must be at least 30 years old when they run for office. This decision contradicted an earlier Supreme Court ruling that the requirement would apply at the time of inauguration. This means that President Jokowi’s youngest son, Kaesang Pangerep, would not be able to run for governor in November (he will not turn 30 until December). Many saw the president’s political maneuvering as part of a strategy to extend his political dynasty. He had positioned his eldest son to become vice president and helped his son-in-law Bobby Nasution run for governor of North Sumatra. The maneuver to help Kaesang secure an executive position only reinforced these perceptions.

The MK had already decided to relax the age requirements for vice presidential candidates. This allowed Widodo’s eldest son, Gibran Raka, to run. The court’s decision was defended by the president and all parties supporting Prabowo’s candidacy. This was even after an ethics committee ruled that the decision was ethically unfair because the Supreme Court president, Widodo’s brother-in-law, did not recuse himself from the case. This time, the MK’s decision would have made Widodo’s political life more difficult. His supporters in parliament agreed to overturn the MK’s decision by revising the election laws themselves. This decision was made less than 48 hours after the court’s decision, without public consultation or parliamentary debate.

The revisions to the law were supposed to be adopted on August 22. In the end, the DPR session did not take place. the bill has not yet become lawIt now appears that the bill could be completely put aside.

Since Prabovo's victory, Widovo's new maneuvers have reinforced the impression that he is building a political dynasty.

No major political force called for protests. The PDI-P in particular did not call for protests. Calls for protests circulated on social media, often anonymously. slogan Indonesia Emergency. Student mobilizations from different campuses were visible on social media, but no single group, campus, civil society alliance, or union was dominant. Some PDI-P members mobilized, but they were not very visible.

Several factors can explain the momentum of the large-scale protests. Widodo's maneuvers to allow Gibran to become vice president alienated civil society and a significant portion of the public. With Jokowi's support, Prabowo won 58 percent of the vote. That means 42 percent of voters opposed Prabowo and Widodo. Protest statements from academics multiplied, as did those from NGOs and other groups. The documentary Dirty voterevealing Widodos' maneuvers, has garnered millions of views on YouTube.

Since Prabowo's victory, Widodo's maneuvering has reinforced the impression that he is building a political dynasty. These perceptions have intensified as Widodo sought to replace the current chairman of Golkar, the second largest party in Prabowo's coalition, with a pro-Widodo ally.

The intensity of the protests cannot be understood without noting how public perception of Widodo has changed. Widodo’s most recent behavior has also projected an image of his behavior as a raja (king). He has consistently appeared at state ceremonies wearing traditional ethnic costumes of royalty, even copying the royal costumes of king Amungkurat. He appeared in another royal costume to the expensive ceremony for Independence Day in the unfinished mega palace in the planned new national capital in Kalimantan (which is considered a vanity project of Widodo). His wife and children appear more frequently in expensive clothes and jewelrywhose photos are now viral on social media. This contrasts with the president's more down-to-earth appearances at the beginning of his presidency.

It is inevitable that anger against Widodo will grow among significant sections of the population. Protests continue Protesters have begun to protest across the country. With Widodo as Pinocchio, many people do not believe the government’s announcement that it has abandoned the controversial bill. Currently, the widespread anger on the ground lacks political leadership and a stable organizational base. Only the PDI-P can provide this in the immediate future, but it is not clear whether it wants to adopt such a strategy. Without leadership and a political vehicle, the protests may struggle to sustain and grow.

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