'Blue Emergency Warning' To Indonesians On Social Media, A Protest Against Political Dynasty And Oligarch

Democracy is a complex subject. And in the politics of Indonesia, democracy is seen by many as biased.

In a democratic society, the government plays a crucial role in ensuring the well-being of its citizens and maintaining the functioning of society. But to do this, the power to make decisions about the laws, policies, and leadership of a country is vested in its citizens.

Citizens have the right to participate in decision-making, usually through voting in elections, have their freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and the press protected by law. The government must also provide equality before the law, divide power among different branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) to prevent any single branch from becoming too powerful, held officials and institutions held accountable to the people, and more.

But in Indonesia, its democracy is rated Indonesia a "flawed democracy," and that the country's political parties have been characterized as cartel parties with extensive power-sharing among parties and limited accountability to voters.

And this time, the aforementioned "flawed democracy" of Indonesia is showing yet another flaw.

In the eyes of concerned citizens, many of whom also become a very skeptic and worried netizens, the democracy of the country is now dead.

In a protest, Indonesia's social media has been populated with a blue warning sign that has gone viral.

The 'Emergency Warning' poster features the national emblem (Garuda) against a blue background with the words Peringatan Darurat (emergency warning).

Borrowed from EAS (Emergency Alert System) videos created and uploaded by some YouTube channels, which specifically discusses the Indonesian version of EAS, the videos are adapted to help showcase citizens' concerns over the political situation involving the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Constitutional Court (Mahkamah Konstitusi, or MK).

The main points of contention include:

1. Changes to Election Laws: The DPR is attempting to pass changes that would enhance the political influence of outgoing President Joko Widodo.
2. Electoral Thresholds: The MK ruled to lower the electoral threshold, making it easier for smaller parties to nominate candidates. However, the DPR has moved to limit this ruling, applying it only to non-parliamentary parties.

But what made the public angry and the thing that sparked outcry, is that the rule the DPR tried to annul, is the only one that could prevent Kaesang Pangarep, known as the youngest son of Jokowi Widodo, the current President of Indonesia, to participate in the 2024 Central Java gubernatorial election.

By lowering the minimum age for regional leaders to 30, which would allow Widodo’s son to run for office.

Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is Widodo's eldest son, is at this time, vice president-elect of Indonesia. But before that, one of the things that prevented him from being a candidate for vice president, was his age.

According to Indonesia's Constitution, a candidate for vice president must be at least 40 years old. But Gibran, born in 1987, couldn't meet that criteria.

At the time, to facilitate the candidacy of Gibran, a significant change was made to the age requirements for presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Initially, the regulation stipulated that the minimum age for presidential and vice-presidential.

The change, which was spearheaded by Gibran’s uncle and Jokowi’s brother-in-law, resulted in an adjustment allowing individuals under 40 to run for office, for as long as they have previously led a region.

This change enabled Gibran, who was 36 years old and was serving as the mayor of Surakarta, to be able to become a candidate for vice president.

And this time, a similar thing is happening.

Because the regulations have rules about regional elections that Kaesang couldn't meet, the DPR trying to annul the rule, and draft a Regional Election Bill (RUU Pilkada) that would affect the election of Governors, Regents, and Mayors.

Which ultimately, would make it possible for Kaesang, who is not even 30 years old, to also run for office.

In the past, a foreign news agency said that under Jokowi, "Indonesian politics is becoming a family affair."

And things have become more apparent.

The public feels that the constitution had been tampered with, in order to allow Kaesang to engage in politics.

Not only that, because the DPR in trying to overturns the MK’s decision on lowering the regional election threshold, could enhance the political influence of the Koalisi Indonesia Maju+, increasing their chances of winning in various regions across Indonesia.

This is a form of autocratic legalism that President Jokowi's administration has continuously displayed through regulations that benefit the oligarch.

This politic maneuver underscores how election momentum often becomes a battleground for political elites, their cronies, and the oligarchy to conspire and control Indonesia's massive natural resource potential that worth trillions of dollars.

So here, the DPR's move has sparked concerns about a potential constitutional crisis, leading many social media users to share the warning sign as a form of protest.

It's everywhere between a protest against nepotism and the so-called nepo-babies, and the dynasty Jokowi is allegedly building, which mirrors how former Indonesian President Soeharto did when still in office.

Not only on the internet that concerned citizens voice their concerns, because in front of the DPR RI building in Jakarta, they also stage a protest.

"Come on, those who still love the Republic of Indonesia and democracy, let's gather tomorrow, Thursday at 09:00 at the DPR RI building," said a social media user.

"Ruined and torn apart by one family," said the another.

"Tonight, we will cover the Makara symbol as a statement from University of Indonesia students who oppose the destruction of the democratic process," added another.

At first, the emergency sign and the videos associated with it, were initially shared by political activists and influencers who are advocating for the protection of democratic processes and the rule of law.

They aim to raise awareness and mobilize public opinion against what they perceive as an overreach by the legislative body.

Sooner than later, people started sharing the image and videos throughout social media, leading to a lot of trending topics on the social media X.

Many people see the power struggle between DPR and the MK as the final stretch of Jokowi's president’s second term, Prabowo Subianto and Jokowi's son Gibran assume office.

Later, as protests rage on outside the parliament building, where security forces used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters, Indonesia lawmakers finally decided to shelve plan to change election law.

The country legislature is not going to ratify changes to election rules during the current government's term, its deputy speaker said.

Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said is going to be delayed due to a lack of a quorum, meaning that it would not apply to this 2024's elections or under the administration of Jokowi, who leaves office in October.

About a week before this, on August 17, 2024, Indonesia celebrated its 79th Independence Day with a significant event held at the new capital, Nusantara (IKN), led by President Joko Widodo.

This celebration marked a pivotal moment in Indonesia’s history, symbolizing the transition from Jakarta to Nusantara.

The Independence Day ceremony at the partially completed site of Nusantara, and was intended to showcase the progress of the new capital.

But at the same time, it also highlighted the challenges faced, such as construction delays and incomplete infrastructure.

And one of the several things that concerned Indonesians, was the fact that Jokowi invited high-ranking officials and also influential figure.

Among others that went viral in various photos, they include the so-called "9 Dragons", which refers to conglomerates in Indonesia that have significant economic and political influence.

These high net worth men have a combine wealth of billions of dollars, and that heir involvement in the development of Nusantara has been a topic of discussion, with some viewing their participation as essential for funding and development, while others express concerns about potential monopolies and undue influence.

In the meantime, the locals who have long been living nearby the newly-built were not allowed to even see the Indonesian flag being put on its mast.

Before this, Jokowi invited a number of high-profile influencers and celebrities to IKN, in what the public perceived as a waste of money.