Election Fever in Indonesia, Why we should intelligently cast our votes in the most pivotal election yet
President Joko Widodo’s (Jokowi) administration ends next year. With it comes the change of the country’s government through the 2024 General Election, where voters will decide on the new president, vice-president and their representatives in the legislative branch. The country will finalize the candidates of both the presidential and legislative elections by November 25, 2023 and host the elections on February 14, 2023.
This election, Indonesians must be vigilant and vote their next leader wisely. The country is at the cusp of rapidly developing into a regional powerhouse and must decide on a path towards it. It cannot have a repeat of elections past, marred by near-violent radicalism and becoming a popularity contest at the expense of constructive debates and peaceful electoral processes.
Elections for a new leader inevitably mean the rise of new voices of reason and destabilizing noises. The good news is that the wheels of Indonesian democracy can allow for the country’s continued rise to the world stage. It requires that we care about the election, do our research into the future leaders of our nation and cast our votes.
The Potential New Faces of Indonesia
As of this article, there are 3 candidates who have been nominated in the running for the country’s top job.
The first is Ganjar Pranowo, current Central Java Governor nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). Ganjar has drawn comparisons to Jokowi for originating from humble origins, completely detached from the political elites during their upbringings.
The second candidate is Prabowo Subianto, current Indonesian Minister of Defense, nominated by the Gerindra Party. He has run for president the past 2 elections and is the face of the Indonesian elite prior to the Reformation era.
The third candidate is Anies Baswedan, former Governor of Jakarta and Minister of Education under the first Jokowi Administration. He was nominated by the Nasdem party and stepped down from his post in order to run for the presidency.
As of this article, the presidential candidates have not announced their vice-presidential candidate partners.
Why do we care? What is affected by the election?
We care about this election because this is the decider of whether Indonesia can elect leaders that help fulfill its potential or ruination. Domestically, the country is rapidly approaching its demography surplus window, where the number of productive adults outnumber the elderly. With numerous challenges to tapping into this potential, a leader who mishandles the various aspects of the country’s demographics risks delaying the country’s rise to global prominence.
It is also in the middle of transitioning across its economy and energy systems. Last year the country was pledged billions of dollars in support from more advanced economies in helping transition the country towards a more sustainable future. The funds can easily be misused into projects that drain funds with little result. In everyday terms, we may end up never seeing a blue sky above Jakarta and the rest of the major cities if our leaders cannot effectively solve the pollution problems in our energy and transportation sectors.
Internationally, the country is at a delicate phase of global affairs. It has to balance between China and the United States in the South China Sea, emerging partners in other developing nations across the Asia-Pacific and stand toe to toe with the economic powerhouses of the G20. A firm yet flexible foreign policy can mean the difference between the country ensuring it can continue to grow and adapt the rate it has under Jokowi or risk instability in the Asia-Pacific and subsequently in Indonesia.
How can we be smart about doing our research?
There are a number of things that one can do to better understand the goals of our presidential and legislative candidates. We can begin with:
Read up on their history: understanding where these candidates come from is essential to understanding how they may act in the future. An example here is how Anies behaved when criticized as Governor of Jakarta?
Read up on what policies they have championed/criticized: where the candidates stand on certain aspects of policy will tend to be where they will focus their time and efforts on. For example, if Prabowo has consistently pushed for Indonesia to buy foreign-equipment for its military, where do you think the current MoD will focus his efforts in his foreign policy and how will this affect Indonesia’s arms industry? This is a question you can derive from looking closely.
Avoid articles that appear exaggerated, do not cite clear sources and present evidence that is not corroborated by other sites: People lie, and you should learn when and how they do so through the media. If something seems heavily biased, you need to be careful and make sure what you are reading is not falsified.
Read up on who the candidates have been linked to: The people that have supported the candidates form interest groups. These interest groups and people will also become the people who the candidates, if elected, have to appease and answer to. For example: if Ganjar gets elected, his ties to PDI-P legislators mean that at some point, he will have to do things that are more in line with what PDI-P wants, and not necessarily what he views as best. All candidates will have this issue, politics is not black and white. Be very careful on who you choose, because you are also choosing their interest groups and supporting cast.
Pay attention to their debates, and try to understand before forming an opinion: A lot of the things they will work on are complex and need multifaceted solutions. Understand the core basics of what they are saying. Sometimes, what seems “bad” may not be the case.
These principles are a general rule of thumb and can always be expanded on. The elections are a great opportunity for us to help steer the country towards a bright future. We need to be aware of our actions, strive to make educated decisions and understand the political intricacies of our democratic processes. What we want may end up not being what the country wants as a whole, but it is important that we understand all aspects of our people’s wishes, so that we may choose the right leaders for the next 5 years.
