Jokowi’s younger son disqualified from November elections, draws flak for US trip amid protests

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo’s efforts to establish a political dynasty have suffered a blow after his younger son was disqualified from the November regional elections due to his age.

At 29, Mr Kaesang Pangarep falls short of the minimum age of 30 required at the time of candidate registration, which takes place between Aug 27 and 29. The setback comes after the political scion drew the ire of Indonesians in the past week.

Public criticism levelled at Mr Kaesang and his wife Erina Gudono saw a surge as the pair travelled to the US on a private jet to visit the University of Pennsylvania, where she will be pursuing a master’s degree at the School of Social Policy and Practice on a scholarship, while violent street protests erupted at home.

Social media platforms, particularly Instagram, were flooded with insults aimed at the couple, who had shared short videos and photos of their travels, as users expressed their discontent with the trip.

The private jet also quickly became one of the most discussed topics in the country.

On social media platform X, users pointed out that the aircraft – a Gulfstream G650ER – was owned by Garena, the gaming arm of Singapore-based Sea.

However, a check on the US Federal Aviation Administration’s website showed that it is currently owned by a trustee of the Bank of Utah. Records on aviation website RZJets, which shows the delivery status of aircraft, indicate the jet was initially delivered to Garena on July 15, 2021, before it was bought by the Bank of Utah’s trust on Dec 29, 2022.

Sea has not responded to The Straits Times’ request for more information.

Besides the private jet, Indonesians also took issue with the couple’s ostentatious lifestyle – snippets of which were shared on Ms Erina’s Instagram account.

In one of her posts, she shared a picture of a 400,000 rupiah (S$33.80) lobster roll purchased at Grand Central Market in Los Angeles, California.

This sparked anger among Indonesian social media users, with the cost of the roll being almost a 10th of the minimum wage in Jakarta.

A separate post on Ms Erina’s Instagram account showed the expectant couple purchasing a baby stroller that costs roughly 21 million rupiah, according to the European manufacturer’s website.

In recent days, the couple’s separate social media accounts have been flooded with comments, numbering in the tens of thousands.

The bulk of them were negative, including one that said: “Jokowi (the name Mr Widodo is popularly known as) always tells the people to buy local, but this family likes to buy things from abroad. What hypocrites.”

Others drew comparisons to Marie Antoinette – the last queen of France who was beheaded during the French Revolution – with some netizens saying “Let them eat cake”, in reference to a famous quote often attributed to her.

Analysts say Mr Kaesang’s absence from the November election race is a significant setback for Mr Widodo, who, despite his popularity, cannot stand against the will of the people.

Political analyst Djayadi Hanan told ST that Mr Widodo’s ambitions to create a political dynasty may be over before they even begin.  

Presently, the President already has two family members in positions of power, with elder son Gibran Rakabuming Raka as the incoming Vice-President, and son-in-law Bobby Nasution contesting for the governorship of North Sumatra with the backing of President-elect Prabowo Subianto’s party, he said.

“Having another person related to him being in power would consolidate his grip, but right now, he will have to rethink that,” said Dr Djayadi, who added that Mr Kaesang’s disqualification poses a significant setback to further aspirations.

Mr Widodo’s attempts to put his younger son on the ballot have only drawn anger from the public, he said, and this could shake the President’s confidence in establishing a political dynasty.

Protesters led by university students gathered outside Jakarta’s Parliament building last week, pressuring lawmakers to scrap a controversial Bill to block candidates not backed by Mr Widodo and Mr Prabowo from participating in the November regional elections.

Protests also took place elsewhere in the capital and other major cities, including Bandung, Surabaya and Semarang, as thousands of people rallied in street demonstrations.

“Although he (Mr Widodo) is the President now, people have shown open defiance by turning up to protest in the past week, to say enough is enough,” said Dr Djayadi.

“It goes to show that despite being the one in power, true power lies in the people.”

Source: straitstimes