On Indonesia’s 2024 presidential election

A week is a long time in politics. And four years since the last election is a hell of a lot longer of course. But this time around, the pendulum seems to be swinging firmly in Prabowo's favour. 

I wouldn’t bet my house on it but since Gibran (the president's son) sided with Prabowo - and thereby giving him a lot of potential support from incumbent President Jokowo voters - the prospects for Ganjar and Anies have dimmed considerably. 

This act of betrayal by the incumbent was something out of a Shakespeare novel and it really infuriated Megawati as she thought she could count on Jokowi's support for Ganjar. But that didn’t turn out to be the case. And she’s still picking up the pieces. 

Prabowo is also galvanizing plenty of support from strongly partisan media (TV One owned by Bakrie, Detik.com by Chairul Tanjung etc) and more cannily social media, which influences the minds of so many people these days. 

In particular, I noticed that Tiktok feeds are jam packed with videos in support of Prabowo but not many for either Ganjar or Anies. 

Not only is Prabowo a clever chap but he has also done his homework on how to win this election, it seems. 

In addition, his solid performances on crucial TV debates and Gibran's potential appeal to young voters (as well as to the Jokowi cohort as I previously mentioned) should be enough to push him over the winning line. 

As part of the old guard, does this mean Indonesia is headed toward a more authoritarian and Suhartoesqe future? 

Well, it won’t be long till we find out...

 

It's difficult to believe that Gibran did not receive at least tacit support from his father (President Jokowi) for backing Prabowo's bid for presidency. This has left Ganjar with a huge uphill road to follow. 

Prabowo has galvanized support from the youth demographic by choosing a young running mate for vice-president and the astute use of social media - even if it makes Gibran look like a young boy in this poster!