Indonesia scraps plan to change election law after thousands protest

Protesters clash with police after the outgoing president’s allies try to revise election rules, which could have installed a political dynasty.

Indonesian legislators have cancelled plans to ratify revisions to election laws, the deputy speaker of parliament says after thousands of people protested in front of the parliament building.

Parliament was preparing on Thursday to reverse a Constitutional Court order over candidate age requirements for upcoming regional polls, superseding a ruling that had made President Joko Widodo’s youngest son, 29-year-old Kaesang Pangarep, ineligible.

If implemented, the changes could have further enhanced the political influence of the outgoing president. Critics said the changes were aimed at installing a political dynasty.

But with thousands of protesters clamouring outside parliament, legislators said they had delayed an emergency session. Later, the deputy speaker said the proposed changes would be dropped for this election period in an apparent U-turn.

“It was officially decided that the revision of the Regional Election Law could not proceed. This means that the revision today was cancelled,” Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, told reporters after the clashes.

The protesters lit tyres on fire and set off firecrackers while chanting slogans against Widodo, who is more popularly known as Jokowi.

Indonesian police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters who tried to storm the parliament building after they tore down a section of fence and threw rocks at police.

Protesters occupied roads in front of the building. Some held banners and signs while others started a fire and burned tyres.

“I came here because my country is on the verge of destruction. These lawmakers have scammed the people,” 64-year-old protester Muhammad Saleh Zakaria told the AFP news agency.

Protests were also reported in Yogyakarta, Makassar, Bandung and Semarang.

Widodo’s office tried to calm the unrest. “The government hopes that there will be no disinformation or slander that could trigger chaos and violence,” spokesman Hasan Nasbi told reporters.

The Constitutional Court on Tuesday dismissed a challenge to an age limit that prevents people under 30 from running for regional governorships, which would prevent Widodo’s son Kaesang from running in a regional contest in Central Java.

The court also made it easier for political parties to nominate candidates by cutting back a requirement that they hold at least 20 percent of a local legislature.

Kaesang has been tipped for an influential post in November’s regional contests. The president’s allies have been trying to find a way around the current minimum age of 30 for candidates by making it applicable by the time of inauguration. Kaesang turns 30 in December.

The uproar came months after Widodo’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, was elected as Indonesia’s youngest vice president, stoking nepotism accusations. Widodo is also accused of helping to install his replacement, defence chief Prabowo Subianto, who will take office in October.

Experts said Indonesians were becoming disillusioned with Widodo and his attempts to retain political influence. He is stepping aside as president after serving the maximum two five-year terms.

“The people are angry at the ongoing manipulation of our democratic system,” said Ika Idris, a Jakarta-based political expert at Monash University’s data and democracy research hub.

“It happened repeatedly and fast. There is a clear desire to … extend power.”