Reason for Indonesia Protests
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, is facing a crisis similar to what happened in Bangladesh. Recently, Indonesia has seen massive protests over changes to its election laws. This turmoil comes as President Joko Widodo’s government attempts to alter the rules to benefit his son.
Background of the Crisis
Joko Widodo, the current President of Indonesia, is set to leave office in October. His return to power is uncertain. He has already appointed his eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as Vice President. Now, Widodo wants to ensure his younger son, Kaesang Pangarep, can succeed him as president. However, the minimum age to run for president in Indonesia is 30 years, while Kaesang is only 29.
To address this, Widodo’s government proposed changing the election laws through parliament. This proposal was rejected by the courts earlier. As a result, the government decided to push for a change in the law through parliament.
Protests and Government Response
The proposed law changes sparked large-scale protests across the country. Demonstrators marched to parliament, demanding that the government drop the proposal. Seeing the increasing unrest, President Widodo’s government has decided to delay the discussion on the proposed law changes to the next parliamentary session.
