Indonesian legislators have canceled plans to ratify amendments to electoral laws following protests from thousands of people outside the parliament building. This decision was confirmed by the deputy speaker of the parliament, who announced it after a wave of public resistance.
The parliament was in the process of preparing a rewrite of a Constitutional Court decision that established age requirements for candidates in the upcoming regional elections. This amendment would have made President Joko Widodo’s youngest son, 29-year-old Kaesang Pangarep, eligible to run for office, which critics argued would promote a political dynasty and further enhance the outgoing president’s influence.
However, after demonstrators called for action outside the parliament, the emergency session intended to approve the amendments was postponed. Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, the vice president of the House of Representatives (Danish: Repræsentanternes Hus), later informed that the proposed changes would be dropped in this election cycle. “It was officially decided that the revision of the regional electoral legislation could not continue,” he told reporters.
Protests intensified as demonstrators set tires on fire and fired fireworks while chanting slogans against Widodo, who is popularly known as Jokowi. Indonesian police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd, which attempted to storm the parliament after tearing down a section of the fence and throwing stones at the police. Additional protests were also reported in the cities of Yogyakarta, Makassar, Bandung, and Semarang.
“I came here because my country is on the brink of destruction. These legislators have deceived the people,” said 64-year-old Muhammad Saleh Zakaria to AFP.
Widodo’s office sought to quell the unrest, hoping that misinformation or defamation would not arise, potentially leading to chaos and violence. The Constitutional Court had previously dismissed a challenge regarding an age limit that prevents individuals under 30 from running for regional governorships.
With this decision, it appears that public disillusionment with Widodo is growing, especially regarding his attempts to maintain political influence as he prepares to leave the presidential office after two terms in office. “People are angry about the continued manipulation of our democratic system,” said Ika Idris, a political expert at Monash University.