#Indonesia election

[kinojoy]

Seeing how Soeharto (A dictator leader who were responsible in tragic massacre cases in Indonesia and Timor Timur) have people on Tiktok making misleading content denying the massacre along with everything that he did.

I hope in the future I don't see the next generation make the same misleading content, to denied the genocide that is happening in Palestine and misleading other to think Netanhayu is the "good guy". (Or any other tragedy and genocides)

I NEED YOU TO SWEAR TO NOT LET THIS HAPPENS 🫠🫠🫠🫠

I think we need to realise how social media (esp, Tiktok) is being used to denied and rewrite history right now. I believe this is the same tactic in Phillipines with Bongbong Marcos CMIIW.

I believe this will not stop in just Soeharto and my country. I am more afraid of the future especially with Ai now, how much of the history will be re-written and be denied. I'm saying this to myself too, This is why speaking up is important and even if no one listens. Your voices still matter and if you did speak up I see you, you did great.

[zealoussy]

Tomorrow, on February 14th, 2024, Indonesia will hold "the world's biggest single-day election", and people are anxious. How can they not? From before the candidates are announced, there were behind the scene deceit happening which was exposed in a documentary just a few days before the election day.

The situation is dire. It is reported that a big portion Indonesian citizens who stay in London and Malaysia can't vote because the Electoral Commision claim they ran out of ballots, which doesn't make sense because all eligible voters are automatically registered and ballots should be provided accordingly. Meanwhile, just today, there are a few academist, experts, author, and others who have spoken about the documentary, Dirty Vote, were reported/sued by people who supported the very candidate whose the documentary was exposing.

If you want to know why people are panicking, and why there's a very strong movement to push against candidate no. 02, Prabow-Gibran, I recommend you to read this succint and bold report by Allain Nairn. But in short, that candidate has cheated their way against the law even make a whole new constitution court ruling so that the son of the incumbent president is eligible to be the candidate of the vice president. Not only that, he's also a war criminal that rebrands himself as "cuddly grandpa", in hope that he can gather support from citizens from lower education and the working class. Which, he massively did btw, his electability score is the highest among the three candidates.

We are preparing for the worst. We are nervous and afraid. Our democracy is on the line. I just want to say that in times like these, it's important to be even more aware about what's happening around you. Because people with power can fuck you up for a lifetime without you noticing.

I try to be hopeful for tomorrow. I'm still not giving up yet, not until the final result is announced.

[suosage]

Day 3 into the Kawal Putusan MK (Trailing Constitutional Court Ruling) protests. Police brutality has been recorded on live TV in various cities. Some protesters are suffering from injuries that required costly surgery, and more than 300 people have gone missing—sometimes they are taken to hospital for injuries, but many were taken by the police: not even necessarily detained, which like isn't even legal in these cases; and more like kidnapped, taken to unknown locations for absolutely no legal reason.

Press are strategically being kept away from reporting and ones that do receive intimidation. There’s an unethical amount of tear gas deployment. Alarms are ringing for sexual harassment and violence. They beat up highschoolers participating in the protest. They are threatening celebrities participating in the protest. Some unidentified parties have contacted major community accounts and influencers to spread counterpropaganda for the Emergency Warning still video pictured above, a major symbol for the movement. A sniper had been spotted around protesting site.

These nation-wide protests, sparked by the Parliament’s plan to disregard the Constitutional Court’s ruling on regional electoral candidacy threshold and candidate’s age limit, has been going on since 22/8, just five days after Indonesia’s Independence Day.

The Constitutional Court established on 20/8 that candidates must be over the age of 30 by the time they are officially registered, and that parties with regional parliament seat of 6.5-10% at minimum can put forward a candidate; a contrast from the previous ruling of minimum 20% seat. This second ruling significantly alter the political landscape of Indonesia’s decentralized governance, suppressing major parties’ monopoly on regional election and making valuable candidacy from smaller parties possible. The first point is also considered a big win, because the incumbent president Jokowi’s second son Kaesang, that had been said to be running in regional election, will still be 29 when the registration is closed.

(It is truly some kind of win, because they somersaulted their way back in 2023 to manipulate the law for presidential election, n now we have to deal w the fact that the first son Gibran is the next vice-president.) (They didn’t have to do anything close to somersaulting probably, as the Constitutional Court’s previous Chief of Justice was. Hm. Jokowi’s brother-in-law.) (More on this here.)

What sparked this protest was the flabbergastingly abrupt parliament meeting on Regional Electoral Law revision, just one day (21/8) after the constitutional ruling came out, which has completely ignored the Constitutional Court’s ruling. This is despite the hierarchy of law stating that legislative bodies have to abide by constitutional rules. The Parliament attempted to make into law that candidates should be over the age of 30 by the time they are inaugurated, not officially registered. Appointment to office should be somewhere around February next year; the election will take place somewhere this October; while… well. Kaesang will be turning 30 on December.

People are still vigilant for sudden moves from the parliament body for their Regional Electoral Law revision, and/or the Electoral Commission, for their regional election regulation. For the moment, the Electoral Commission has stated that they are fully abiding the Constitutional Court ruling, and the Parliament has stated that they are postponing the discussion for the revision.

That being said, for several times in the past few years, the Parliament has held abrupt meetings in the middle of the night for the ratification of controversial laws.

The Electoral Commission literally just did hold a hearing with the Parliament. They're going to conclude the discussion for the regional election regulation on Monday.

Protests are still going to be held for days from now. Warnings about intensified level of violence have been going around. Stay vigilant.

[centralgardenerd]

congrats to the usa for choosing a convict felon and a racist homophobe as a president! fuck you, honestly

[southeastasianists]

There was a time when Prabowo Subianto's name would have spooked most Indonesians.

But now young voters appear to be charmed by the defence minister's slick makeover. The fiery ex-special forces commander dogged by allegations of human rights abuses and disappearances has become a cute grandfather made for memes.

"He is much older, but he is able to embrace my generation," says a 25-year-old supporter of his, Albert Joshua.

Now 72, Mr Prabowo is running to succeed the popular Joko Widodo when the world's third-largest democracy votes on 14 February. He is promising more of the stability and economic development Mr Widodo, or Jokowi as he is better known, pushed during his decade in power.

So far the polls put Mr Prabowo ahead of his younger rivals, Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Baswedan. Both men are in their 50s and have experience running key Indonesian provinces as governors. Job security, infrastructure and a bigger diplomatic role for Indonesia dominate their campaigns.

Mr Prabowo's running mate is Mr Widodo's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka. It's a choice that many see as a tacit blessing by the president, who is yet to endorse anyone, including his own party's candidate, Mr Pranowo.

But a Prabowo presidency is also alarming to many, who say he has never been held accountable for the alleged abduction and killing of pro-democracy student activists decades ago.

A young voter, who did not wish to be named, says she is "terrified" he will win: "If he could be an accomplice of silencing voices then he will be silencing those voices now if he gets elected."

"Cuteness" hardly makes an eligible leader, she says. "If that's how you think a leader should be, then you should elect kittens."

Indonesia's cat-loving 'gemoy squad'

Cats are also a part of Mr Prabowo's social media campaign. His brown and white stray, Bobby, has his own well-curated Instagram account that describes him as a "patriot".

Then there are the TikTok videos of Mr Prabowo doing his signature move - an awkward shuffle across the stage - or shooting hearts at the audience. The gushing response has dubbed him "gemoy", a moniker for all things cuddly and adorable. His young supporters call themselves the "gemoy squad".

Social media has been the cornerstone of his outreach. Millennials and Gen Z make up more than half of Indonesia's 205 million eligible voters - they also account for many of the 167 million Indonesians who use social media.

Mr Prabowo's official Facebook and affiliated accounts spent $144,000 in advertising over the past three months, according to Meta's data. That's almost double Mr Pranowo's spend, and triple that of Mr Baswedan.

"I rarely see Prabowo's real picture anymore," said Yoes C Kenawas, a research fellow at Atma Jaya University.

Instead the internet, drawing rooms and streets are filled with posters of Mr Prabowo as a chubby cartoon character. This new "avatar... is all over Indonesia", Mr Kenawas says. "That's how they're softening his image. And so far, it's pretty successful."

A spokesperson for Mr Prabowo's campaign said they were just trying to attract young people through a "fun" campaign: "Politics can be conveyed through different methods... that's not a bad thing," Dedek Prayudi told the BBC.

Gen Z voter Rahayu Sartika Dewi says she is drawn to Mr Prabowo's plans to develop the renewable energy and farming sectors. She calls the campaign "very cute, fun and approachable... not too heavy like in previous years".

Mr Prabowo ran for president, and lost, in 2014 and 2019. But this campaign has been remarkably different.

"The logic is that Prabowo's losses were, at least in part, because his strongman image and firebrand style alienated parts of the electorate," says Dr Eve Warburton, director of the Australia National University's Indonesia Institute.

Mr Prabowo is also targeting a generation that has no memory of the time when he rose to the peak of his power. That happened during the dictatorship of General Suharto, who was forced from office in 1998. His 32-year reign, which many Indonesians credit with modernising the country, was also a time of brutal repression and bloodshed.

Twenty-five years on, young voters say they would rather judge Mr Prabowo on how he tackles unemployment and cost of living. He has promised to create 19 million new jobs over the next five years.

"I know activists are still speaking out... but we have to move on," Mr Joshua says.

Mr Prabowo's campaign has denied the allegations, although he was dismissed from the military for his alleged role in the activists' disappearance. In 2014 he told Al Jazeera that he had ordered their kidnapping but had only done so on the orders of superiors.

In recent months videos have been showing up of people in tears, expressing their sympathy for him, claiming he had been "victimised by his opponents". They often feature young people, and some election watchers doubt if these are genuine supporters.

Ms Dewi says his presidential nomination is "proof" that he has shaken off the allegations.

An extraordinary comeback

Mr Prabowo was born into a wealthy political family, the son of a renowned economist who served in the Indonesian cabinet.

He followed his father who left the country in 1957 under a cloud of controversy, and spent a decade of his childhood in exile in Europe.

After returning home, he joined the army and quickly moved up the ranks to become the captain of Indonesia's elite special forces, the Kopassus.

By then he had already been accused of human rights violations in restive East Timor, where he had served as a member of the unit. His exact role in the military operations in East Timor that claimed hundreds of lives has never been proven and he denies the allegations. But the murky blot on his career has stayed.

He married one of Suharto's daughters and remained in the dictator's inner circle. As Suharto's reign crumbled in the late 1990s, the Kopassus was accused of kidnapping more than 20 student activists who opposed the regime. At least a dozen of them are still missing and feared dead. Those who survived have alleged torture.

Mr Prabowo was discharged from the military, went into self-imposed exile in Jordan, made it onto a blacklist in Australia and was banned from travelling to the United States.

But he made a comeback in 2019, when Mr Widodo appointed him as his defence minister, turning the rivals into allies. The surprise move followed a bitter election win - Mr Prabowo blamed his loss on cheating - and violent protests that left eight people dead.

"How can we expect justice if the perpetrator becomes the president?" asks Suciwati, the widow of a prominent human rights lawyer. Munir Said Thalib spent much of his life investigating the 1998 disappearances. He was assassinated in 2004 on a flight. The pilot was found guilty, but Suciwati does not believe that is the full story.

Prabowo's presidency "would be an extraordinary defeat for us, the families of victims, and human rights activists", she says.

Mr Widodo's support has helped restore Mr Prabowo's image, some say. Social media is "not enough", Mr Kenawas adds, and "how the state machineries have supported his campaign... should not be underestimated".

Many point to his running mate and Mr Widodo's son, Mr Gibran. A constitutional court, where Mr Widodo's brother-in-law serves as chief justice, controversially cleared the way for the 36-year-old to run for vice-president - Indonesian law requires him to be older.

What also worries many is a return of the "old Prabowo", known for his hot temper and volatile personality.

Dr Warburton says some of his recent public appearances had hints of that.

"No-one knows how Prabowo will govern," she says. "He may be a very hands-off president most interested in the prestige and pomp of office; but most who know him well emphasise his unpredictable personality. And that's never good for governance."

[delaccors]

Guys, I have never write anything serious, actually. But maybe this time I do it.

Tomorrow is the day where Presidential Election and also Legislative Election take place. And also coincidentally in the same day as Valentine's Day.

One of the candidates, the president was the one who kidnapped and killed a lot of college students back in the 90s, where Indonesia's New Order happened. His vice president candidate is the current First Son of the current President and also his uncle paved his way to be the candidate because he was one of judge in Constitutional Court of Indonesia.

Rumor has it, the President and the First Lady wanted him to be the candidate. Hell, even the President met with them at Sunday in a hotel where the campaign meeting happened.

In other words, a murderer and a nepo baby will have a big chance to lead Indonesia.

Because there are data that support their fraudulence in campaign period.

Even in quiet period like this where Dirty Vote, a documentary about General Election Commissions' skewness, was uploaded and revealed a lot of problems with it. Hell, they even stopped the exit poll for Indonesians who live abroad. The reason was to wait until February, 14th.

Bullshit.

I have never been this scared before. I remember Padme's word, "So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause." I really don't want Indonesia's democracy and freedom to die. I don't want my parents to suffer. I don't want my sister to suffer to lose a lot of her friends. I want to be free, to criticize my government without worrying that someone is watching me.

Especially rice's prices are rising now, due to be used as social assistance by Mr. President so the people will vote his son. It should be done in COVID-19 era, not at this time.

I know that Tumblr is always been USAmerican-centric, but this will probably the last chance Indonesia will have free democracy and its freedom. So, I don't know what I should ask you to do. Just pray for us that we will be fine is enough. Just support your Indonesian friends if you have any.

Thank you for reading this. I'm sorry if it's too long.

[lizzydizzyyo]

Listen I'm not american I don't know shit about what you're going through, and to be honest, between the people who keep telling everyone to vote blue no matter what and the people who say both dems and reds are equally bad, idk who to believe anymore because I'm not there.

In perfect circumstance, you won't have to vote for either. The thing is, if you don't want to, you have to put in the work. You have to go down the streets and make your own grassroot movements to make sure you get enough people on board with an independent candidate. You need to do some sleuthing and deep research, quickly. Then stick with that.

I'm sure the "vote blue no matter what" people want to vote for a decent candidate too, but at this point, there isn't one that is feasible. Dems are slightly, marginally, microscopically better, so they latch onto that because there is nobody else. If you want independent candidate to be elected, you need to do more than just reblogging and writing tags about how "vote blue no matter what" people are fucking dense and evil and part of the problem.

These people latch onto dems because they don't know anyone else having good chance of winning, that is just not republican. Yes, you can argue all you want about how Biden is just as bad when it comes to immigration and Palestine genocide issue (although he was trying very hard to find ways to absolve student loan and codify gay marriage before everything went to shit, and for better or worse, he took US army out of Afghanistan in 2021). But you still don't know how much worse/better/similar it would be if Trump were in charge right now. It's not like when Trump held office, there wasn't any major Palestine/Gaza conflict or immigration issue either.

You need to convince these "vote blue no matter what" people to switch to your side, not with derision or insults or swearing or blaming, but by presenting them with an option who actually has a chance of winning. This candidate also needs a lot of backing because they're not just going against one party, but two parties.

You need to choose one independent candidate, at the very least by March, and do hardcore hands-on campaigning for this candidate until ballot day. Again, not with insult but with educating the plus points of this candidate and call for action. You need to be willing to be vocal beyond reblogging angrily on tumblr. You need to get over yourself and get the fuck off your high horse and start picking and sticking to your independent candidate you choose.

As someone coming from a country with upcoming election in 2024 too, who actually has three pairs of candidates to choose from (and mixture of parties, because there are over a dozen parties in my country and they can form coallition freely), it isn't the end-all-be-all that you think it is. It isn't easy or reassuring because the "good" candidate cannot rely on party backing or culture backing (one of the candidate is hardline syariah muslim campaigner so they have religious extremists' backing, and the other is the right hand man of my country's past dictator who reigned terror over the country for decades so they have the military's backing).

It's not the magical solution that you think it is. Some people simply plan to not vote at all because they have no hope that the "good" candidate will win and they don't want to give any vote to the other two either (Sound familiar? Anyone?). "But your country has popular/ranked voting!" Yeah, and guess what, when my country's dictator was the president, the "election" was by popular voting too.

Fact of the matter is, your country doesn't have it, and won't have it anytime soon. So be realistic.

If you want an independent candidate to win, you need to suck it up and be kind to the "vote blue no matter what" people. Present them with hope and solution instead of compounding their already deep sense of impending doom. You're doing yourself, your country, and the world (yes, hate it all you want as I do too, but USA unfortunately has quite a big influence globally) disservice by alienating them instead of inviting them to become your comrades in championing a decent independent candidate.

You need to make "vote blue no matter what" your allies, not enemies.

[jepretanjanet]

—election day / Feb 14, 2024

[audadzaki]

Pemilu di Negeri Nil

Empat hari sebelum pilpres dan pileg di Tanah Air digelar kami di Mesir sudah lebih dulu pesta di KBRI Kairo, tepatnya di bilangan Tahrir di tepian sungai Nil yang permukaannya telihat sejuk itu.

Indonesia adalah satu dari dua negara mayoritas muslim yang jadi sorotan dunia soal prestasi demokrasi, di samping Turkiye. Di saat semua negara penganut demokrasi Timur Tengah chaos, jatuh dalam jebakan demokrasi (democracy trap) kita setiap tahun masih saja merayakan demokrasi terbuka dengan "santun".

Mesir adalah korban akhir2 yang masih anyir oleh darah. Sungai Nil di Tahrir jadi saksi bisu. Mungkin aliran yang terlihat sejuk itu adalah air matanya.

Kenapa demokrasi Indonesia bisa damai? Kabar baiknya: karena kita memang bangsa santuy dan santun. Kabar buruknya: karena elemen politik Islam Indonesia memang tidak pernah menang absolut seperti di negara Timur Tengah yang ujung2nya terbentur.

Kita jadi serba salah, antara bersyukur atau sedih karena selalu kalah.

Kata para peneliti, mimpi umat Islam menang dalam demokrasi sebagai kekuasaan berbasis agama yang absolut adalah utopia. Tapi kita sedang tidak ada pilihan. Mungkin sama seperti KH. Agus Salim dan tokoh bangsa lain saat memutuskan ijtihad untuk membuat negara bangsa Pancasila tujuh puluhan tahun lalu. Hanya ini yang paling memungkinkan saat ini.

Buktinya, prinsip kita setiap kali pemilu adalah "pilih yang paling ringan mudharatnya". Itu cukup jadi bukti bahwa maslahat umat Islam tidak benar-benar sedang dibangun, siapapun presidennya. Umat Islam Indonesia hanya terjebak dalam pilihan yang selalu antara mati atau hidup setengah mati.

Tapi apa gunanya punya pilihan hidup sehidup M*rsi kalau ujung-ujungnya mati sekaligus terinjak-injak?

Jadi maaf Mesir, demi keberlangsungan hidup, ini masih paling baik buat kami saat ini. Meskipun kami tahu, pasti kalah lagi kalah lagi.

@audadzaki

Gannet Misr, 17 Februari 2024. Pemilu kedua kalinya di KBRI tapi selalu yasudahlah.

[memenewsdotcom]

Prabowo Subianto wins Indonesia election

[caremax123]

Share your thoughts and influence our next big move! [Click here to Share]

🚀 We Want Your Opinion! 🌟

Help us shape the future by participating in our quick survey! 📝 As a thank you, you'll be entered to win some fantastic prizes! 🎁 ✨ What’s in it for you? Share your thoughts and influence our next big move! Enter for a chance to win exclusive rewards! 💬 Your feedback is invaluable to us, and it only takes a few minutes. Click the link below to get started and make your voice heard!

🔗 https://tinyurl.com/nagadmoney

Thank you for being part of our community! 💙

[iskipanimeintro]

"Lookin' for your answer <3"

SKKEHSJSJSJB THIS IS BAPAK GIBRAN A.K.A THE CANDIDATE FOR INDONESIA'S VICE PRESIDENT

spill dong tps tempat kalian nyoblos kayak gmn? !! Ada yg coquette? Atau cosplay pekerja konstruksi? Atau mungkin kalian dapet souvenirs? Tinta celup kalian warna biru atauu pink? :)

So ofc credit to Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the guy who created this meme and paslon 2 ig.. i aint no buzzer yall, here to memes :>

[southeastasianists]

Indonesia will be holding its next nationwide general elections in 2024. In the run-up to those elections, a group of organizations representing independent journalists and LGBT rights advocates is warning that the media’s discriminatory coverage of LGBT issues has the potential to increase the risk of persecution and violence against members of the minority.

The Alliance of Indonesian Independent Journalists (AJI), the Union of Journalists for Diversity (SEJUK) and LGBT rights advocacy group Arus Pelangi issued a joint press release today warning of the danger of the media’s discriminatory coverage, which they quantified through a study of 113 stories containing the keyword LGBT published by Indonesian digital news outlets between January and February.

Amplifying anti-LGBT politicians

According to the release, most of the stories from local and national news outlets about LGBT issues focused on anti-LGBT statements made by politicians and other government officials. One example they noted was widely covered comments made by Bobby Nasution, the mayor of Medan and son-in-law of President Joko Widodo.

On Jan 1, Nasution claimed to see a gay couple in front of Medan’s City Hall and said it was unacceptable. “There is no LGBT in the city of Medan. We are anti-LGBT,” he told the media. “There isn’t a single ethnic group in Medan that supports same-sex relationships. So let us adhere to our own cultural values, be it in terms of tradition and everyday lives, and also in relationships.”

Nasution’s words were followed by statements from public officials in Makassar, Bandung, Garut, North Kalimantan and Sampang, all of whom have pushed for the passage of anti-LGBT laws in their regions.

In Makassar, the anti-LGBT regional regulation has become a priority for discussion in the regional legislative agenda. The draft law could criminalize LGBT-related events, groups and rights advocacy.

“The media amplifies and promotes discriminatory policies through statements by politicians and officials,” AJI Indonesia secretary general Ika Ningtyas was quoted as saying.

Discriminatory diction

The group’s study of LGBT coverage took into account factors such as the sources interviewed, viewpoints offered and types of language used.

Out of the 113 stories they studied, 35 included discriminatory statements from civil society organizations (ormas), 31 from members of the People’s Representative Councils (DPRD), 25 from mayors, regents and deputy regents, and 16 from the heads of departments.

The number of stories that included statements from LGBT groups was just five.

Their study also quantified the discriminatory language commonly used in such coverage, including 29 instances of LGBT being referred to as “deviant behavior”, 28 instances of it being “prohibited by religion” and 13 instances of it “violating moral or cultural norms”.

“Discriminatory diction adds to the stigmatization and perpetuates discrimination against the LGBT minority,” said SEJUK advocacy manager Tantowi Anwari.

Threat of identity politics

Worryingly, the group concludes from their analysis that there is a growing desire to politicize LGBT identity in the run-up to the 2024 election and that political parties are encouraging politicians to drum up support by voicing anti-LGBT sentiments.

“The mass media must be extra careful about these patterns of being used for identity politics ahead of 2024,” said Ika.

AJI Indonesia, SEJUK, and Arus Pelangi end the release with a call for the mass media to publish news stories that are inclusive of the LGBT community, respect diversity and are written from a human rights perspective in accordance with the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Barring any changes, Indonesians are set to go to the polls on Feb. 14, 2024.

[delaccors]

Indonesia has lost their minds due to today's Presidential election quick count. Please I need some comforting words right now and you can do that in my ask box. Anon or not, I'll appreciate them.

And if you have any Indonesian's mutuals, please comfort them, too. They need a lot of strengths to go through this Dark Ages aka New Order 2.0.

[kinojoy]

PSA; make sure to check on your Indonesian Oomf RN. We're in president election and the dictator leader is so close at winning. It is clear that there are some rigging and they are cheating.

Also if that person does win ... I'm so sorry for the brutality that will be happens. Please remember us !!

[protect-namine]

if I had a nickel for every time an authoritarian leader is elected in southeast asia through image rebranding on social media, well...