Politics Inc. - Oligarki
In Indonesia, the oligarchs are doing their thing. Absurd wouldn't even start to describe the situations. So I'll keep it short, and absurd.
One of my favorite things about Southeast Asia is the sticky rice. In Indonesia, KFC’s standard meal is fried chicken and sticky rice - we don’t do fries. One of Southeast Asia’s favorite things is political chaos. So here we are:
What’s happening:
President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, has been president for the last 10 years (dua periode - two term). In 2014, he was a symbol of hope and signal Indonesia’s robust democracy. Now, he is the antithesis of that, or so it seems.
He was Indonesia’s first president who did not come from the political elite - he went from being “the common man” to what he is now, an aspiring dynast with authoritarian tendencies.
There were attempts to delay this year’s presidential elections and change the constitution, to extend his term or allow him to contest another term. That didn’t work out.
So, he made his son, Gibran, the vice-presidential running mate for Prabowo Subianto (more on him later), who with Jokowi’s support, ended up winning the elections.
Gibran only became eligible to contest the elections after Jokowi’s brother-in-law, who happened to be the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, amended an election law for it.
Gibran was also the mayor of Solo - the town where Jokowi first became mayor, before becoming governor of Jakarta, and then president.
Jokowi’s son in law has been the mayor of a major city on the island of Sumatra - Medan.
Jokowi’s younger son, Kaesang, has recently been the subject of controversy lately after Indonesia’s parliament introduced a law that would make him eligible to run for the Jakarta elections later this year.
Kaesang is backed by a grand coalition that Jokowi has brought together, to go against a political opponent - Anies Baswedan (more on him some other time) - in the Jakarta elections.
The parliament (in which Jokowi has a supermajority) has been introducing laws to prevent Anies and Jokowi’s former-benefactor-now-enemy Megawati from gaining political ground. (who was the daughter of Indonesia’s first president and who unsuccessfully tried to make her daughter a vice presidential candidate - but her daughter was too unpopular).
The Constitutional Court and Supreme Court are going against each other.
Jokowi is trying to cement his dynasty and place himself as a kingmaker in incoming president Prabowo’s administrations.
Incoming president Prabowo is the former son-in-law of Indonesia’s dictator Suharto, who stole billions from the country. Prabowo, dismissed for the military, wracked up quite a few cases of human rights violations. He led counter insurgency in Indonesia’s brutal occupation of Timor-Leste. He committed atrocities in West Papua. He disappeared students in Jakarta, and facilitated mass riots in the country. He rebranded his image during the elections, becoming a cute cuddly grandpa. Saying he’s not an angry person anymore. But people do not forget. And once he does become president, facades could drop. He’s someone who facilitated riots in Jakarta in 1998 in an attempt to take power, and he’s believed that he is Indonesia’s true and only leader for decades. The next 5 years will be interesting.
Oh and the oligarchs have been attempting to take away people’s rights to directly elect a president - they want people to only be able to vote for a party, which will then choose who it wants. They’re also trying to do similar for Jakarta.
They are also trying to reintroduce dwifungsi - dual-function - referring to how the military played a massive social and political role during the Suharto dictatorship.
Confusing right? This is just a quick overview of the situation, if you want to read more on the details, the legalities, etc: here & here & here & here.
So what’s going on?
Indonesia, a beautiful archipelago of over 17,000 islands with over 250 million people - unfortunately seems to have the far-too-common problem of being at the mercy of too few - the oligarki.
The political and military elite, who have centralized power for decades, or been used to that - are simply seeking to get more. After the fall of the dictator Suharto in 1998, Indonesia went through a democratic ‘Reformasi’ (reformation) - which was never completed.
Over the last two decades, and especially over the last decade, the elites have been fiending for all of the cake for themselves. Closing some doors that were opened in the 2000s.
These elites increasingly show no care or responsibility towards the people of Indonesia - unashamedly clawing for power and money and influence.
Like a lot of places in the world, one day there will be a reckoning. Some would hope sooner than later.
I apologize for not posting regularly - things have been hectic. Do leave comments or drop messages about anything that may interest you. See you soon.