Make Nepotism Fall Again

SEA Limited CEO Gang Ye is rumored to have provided a private jet for President Jokowi’s son, Kaesang Pangarep, and his wife, Erina Gudono. SEA Limited, based in Singapore, owns Shopee and the gaming giant Garena (known for Free Fire). The Straits Times of course know that last January, multiple tycoons, billionaires of Singapore visit IBU KOTA NUSANTARA -- new capital city of Indonesia, because The Straits Times also part of delegation. President Jokowi sent a special taskforce Maruarar Sirait, ex PDIP, to accompany the Singaporeans.

Like Jokowi, Maruarar is also [former] high rank PDIP. But now [both] is PDIP’s enemy.

According to The Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), the primary anti-corruption legislation in Singapore, “gratification” includes —

(a) money or any gift, loan, fee, reward, commission, valuable security or other property or interest in property of any description, whether movable or immovable;
(b) any office, employment or contract;
(c) any payment, release, discharge or liquidation of any loan, obligation or other liability whatsoever, whether in whole or in part;(d)any other service, favour or advantage of any description whatsoever, including protection from any penalty or disability incurred or apprehended or from any action or proceedings of a disciplinary or penal nature, whether or not already instituted, and including the exercise or the forbearance from the exercise of any right or any official power or duty; and(e)any offer, undertaking or promise of any gratification

New research by School of Social and Political Science at the University of Sydney as shown that family dynasties are more common in democracies than authoritarian systems. Political nepotism has made many women national leaders, particularly in Asia - from Megawati Sukarnoputri to Paetongtarn Shinawatra. So far, Erina Gudono, wife of Kaesang, currently get a nickname Javanese Marie Antoinette, [was] have desire to be Mayor of Sleman Regent, in Yogyakarta province, a special province in Indonesia.

Hereditary politics is typically associated with monarchies or authoritarian states, but new research shows leaders who are related to former leaders are very common in democracies.

Canada's Justin Trudeau and George W Bush in the US are famous examples — and in Indonesia, India and Pakistan, women leaders have risen to power after their famous fathers. Hereditary democracy is unfair and prevents voters from having the best and brightest elected representatives.

[At least] in last 3 weeks and especially since August 17th / Indonesia Independence Day, we, as Indonesian, saw more candidates submit their bids for the local elections, and without President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s youngest son Kaesang Pangarep on the ballot, thanks to the Constitutional Court rulings that aim to foster more competitive races for regional heads across the country in November.

The candidates, and the parties behind them, are mounting a challenge to the dominance of the ruling coalition linked to Jokowi and his successor Prabowo Subianto , especially in strategic battlefields such as on Java Island. But we should not forget the role of protesters, students, civil society group activists, artists and many others, who took to streets to force the political elites to stop their conniving to circumvent the court rulings. They rallied outside the House of Representatives, the Constitutional Court, the General Elections Commission (KPU) in Jakarta and in several cities to oppose the maneuvering of the powers that be to bend the law.

As usual they had to fend off tear gas and excessive use of force by security personnel. It took less than a day of protests for lawmakers and the government to finally bow to the popular demand for compliance with the court’s rulings. The announcement calmed some of the protesters. But smaller demonstrations continued in several places in Jakarta and other cities over the weekend until the House permitted the KPU to adopt the court-ordered election rules.

It was thanks to “peringatan darurat” (emergency warning), a viral symbol of mass disobedience that went viral on social media, and other online campaigns to keep policymakers in check that people were moved to join the huge demonstrations. The picture is a mock-up of a state of emergency alert screen, showing the national emblem Garuda Pancasila on a blue background and accompanied by messages claiming that Indonesia’s democracy is in a state of emergency.

The younger generation amplified the criticism across different social media platforms, showing their awareness to counter the backsliding on hard-won democracy, which began at the start of Jokowi’s second presidential term. In another instance, social media users referred to Jokowi by his birth name Mulyono to express their anger with the outgoing leader, who looks intent on solidifying his political dynasty before leaving office in October.

Kaesang and his wife Erina Gudono have also become the subject of public anger for flexing their trip on a private jet to the United States amid the nationwide demonstrations. It was perhaps the largest wave of protests, and certainly the most successful, that the country has seen since the student demonstrations against the new Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law in 2019.

Before last week’s protests, mass demonstrations against the government and lawmakers had been ignored or were met with state violence. Young people, who will take over the national leadership in the future, have done us all a favor by standing up to ill-advised attempts to subvert the rule of law. They deserve our gratitude for maintaining democracy, living up to its original meaning of rule by the people. Thank you for protesting.