Various political events that have taken place in Indonesia in recent times have attracted many reactions from various circles.
Thousands of crowds from various elements of society, including workers, students, art workers, and activists, staged a demonstration in front of the DPR RI parliament building in Jakarta on Thursday, August 22, 2024 until the riots ended.
Protesters opposed the plans of the Legislative Body of the Parliament of RI and the government to continue the discussion of the election bill at the Plenary Meeting later that day.
The passage of the election bill into law is said to be attributed to smooth the move of President Joko Widodo's third son, Kaesang Pangarep, to advance in the upcoming Jakarta gubernatorial election contest.
The Court's ruling stipulates that the age of a candidate for regional head is calculated at the time the candidate's spouse registers, not at the time of the inauguration. This is stated in Article 15 of the Election Commission Regulation No. 8 of 2024:
“At least 30 (thirty) years of age for Candidates for Governor and Deputy Governor and 25 (twenty-five) years for Candidates for Regents and Deputy Regents or Candidates for Mayor and Deputy Mayor shall be counted from the date of determination of the Candidate Couple.”
A student gives a speech during a demonstration to reject the ratification of the Regional Head Election (Pilkada) Bill in front of the West Java DPRD Building in Bandung, Indonesia, on August 22, 2024. Source: NurPhoto / NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
new age of Kaesang will be 30 years old in December 2024, or four months after the start of the registration period for regional heads and their deputies. So technically, Kaesang cannot advance to the gubernatorial election scene because it does not yet meet the age limit.
A number of Indonesians living in Australia have their own views on how to respond to democratic developments in the country, including the recent protests.
Rizky Nur Aziz, an Indonesian from Bojonegoro, East Java, said he was hesitant to believe in the government of President Joko Widodo.
“There are too many political events going on that make people wonder,” said the 28-year-old, who works as a chef in Karratha, Western Australia.
The woman from Blitar, East Java, who has been living in Australia for the past 10 years said she had “never trusted the Indonesian government in the past.”
“I honestly have never trusted the Indonesian government one hundred per cent either,” said Ms, who works as a Partner Relationship Manager at an education agency in the city of Sydney.
“In the days of reform, I had a glimmer of hope. But that hope evaporates even more because KKN (Corruption, Collusion, and Nepotism) is already cultured, difficult to disappear.”
Another is the case with Raphaelino Hensy. He has seen a lot of progress in various fields since Indonesia came under the leadership of President Joko Widodo.
“The infrastructure in Indonesia has developed a lot. There are already many provinces that have international airports,” said the 49-year-old, who is now an Australian citizen.
“I still want to return to Indonesia because I feel optimistic about Indonesia's progress,” Aziz said. “I see all these events as Indonesia's process moving forward.”
Ms, who now holds the status of a Permanent Resident of Australia, said something has always made her yearn to return home to Indonesia.
“There are many good people, close family, best friends and friends, who live in Indonesia who are always missed,” he said.
For him, “Indonesia is its people, not its government.”
—-- Ade
Mardiyati
