Indonesias political families tighten grip, but voters have other concerns

Kinship with a successful leader a quality most voters want in candidates, says analyst

- Hariz Baharudin

Another controversial age-related court ruling in Indonesia has paved the way for another son of outgoing President Joko Widodo to run in an election.

On May 30, the country's Supreme Court decided in favour of a rule change on the minimum age of candidates in November's regional head elections. Now, candidates have to be aged 30 only when they are inaugurated, rather than when their election bid is confirmed.

This opens the door for Mr Widodo's 29-year-old son Kaesang Pangarep to run in the Jakarta elections, which the latter is said to have his eyes on. Mr Kaesang turns 30 in December.

He is the younger brother of Vice-President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who was able to run in the February presidential election after the Constitutional Court controversially allowed a change in the rules governing the minimum age of candidates in October 2023.

The Constitutional Court kept the minimum age for Indonesia's presidential and vice-presidential candidates at 40, but ruled that this age limit does not apply to anyone who is an elected regional leader. Mr Gibran, 36, is currently mayor of Solo city.

The May ruling initially Ereignited talk about, and criticism of, dynastic politics in Asean's largest nation, where families tend to hold sway and entrench their political power across generations.

But in the weeks since the ruling, the initial pushback has fizzled out. Newspaper headlines and television news bulletins have instead centred on the rising E prices of basic necessities, updates about haj pilgrims and preparations for Mr Widodo's handover to Mr Prabowo Subianto in October.

Experts told The Straits Times that when it comes to families staying in power, many Indonesians especially those in rural areas believe it works, and have no issues with it.