Following the previous analysis post, the approaching Indonesian presidential election is well on its way in the Southeast Asian nation. On the 23rd of September, the two candidates released white doves, declaring a peaceful race between the two. Already in the election so far President Widodo has been accused of being a part of the PKI ( Indonesian Communist Party), an ideology banned in 1965. The tactic of naming politicians are communists in Indonesia is utilized to discredit them. This is a practice rooted deeply in Indonesian political history after the mass killings of those who were communist or believed to be.
Although the election was thought to be heavily influenced by religion, that is no longer the case. The political infrastructure of the Indonesian government requires a much-needed upgrade following the Suharto era regime. This super nationalistic, strong-man type of governing style has been craved by many Indonesians, and that exactly what Prabowo provides. Much of Widodo’s five years have dealt with weighing and pleasing the more conservative Muslims and his moderate Islam base.
One of the candidates, Subianto, has a questionable past regarding torturing activists and attempting to silence journalists during the fall of the Suharto regime. While reading through Indonesian news sites, most of them failed to mention this past. In The United States if a presidential candidate were to have a past like that, the media, activists, etc., would be all over it. Much like we see with the Kavanaugh trial regarding a crime that occurred during his teen years.
Prabowo Subianto also has a past connected to the Suharto regime, a militaristic regime that ruled Indonesia for three decades. As said previously, many Indonesians want this strong-man type of government. In Indonesia, the president appoints the some of the most powerful officials within the government. I think that this poses a risk to the amount of power the government will have, and if Subianto were to be elected the military would most likely have increased power within Indonesia.