Police clash with protesters over Indonesia law change
Police have clashed with demonstrators in Jakarta, Indonesia, as tens of thousands gathered to protest the government’s attempt to overturn a constitutional court ruling.
Chaotic scenes erupted outside parliament, where some protesters tried to tear down the gates, while others called for restraint.
Similar confrontations between police and protesters occurred in other major cities, including Padang, Bandung, and Yogyakarta.
Analysts warn that the power struggle between Indonesia’s parliament, dominated by the president’s supporters, and the constitutional court could trigger a political crisis.
On Wednesday, the country’s highest court ruled that political parties no longer needed a minimum of 20% representation in regional assemblies to field a candidate.
However, within 24 hours, parliament introduced an emergency motion to reverse the ruling, sparking widespread condemnation and concerns over a potential constitutional crisis.
A vote on the hastily introduced legislation, which would undo parts of the court’s ruling, was postponed on Thursday due to a lack of MPs in attendance.
If passed, the law would preserve the status quo, favoring parties aligned with outgoing president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his successor, Prabowo Subianto. Consequently, many local elections are expected to be uncontested.
The parliamentary move would also prevent prominent government critic Anies Baswedan from running for the influential position of Jakarta governor.
The Indonesian government is also trying to find a way around the constitutional court’s decision to uphold the current minimum age limit of 30 for candidates, which would bar Mr. Widodo’s 29-year-old son, Kaesang Pangarep, from running in a regional contest in Central Java.
Mr Widodo’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is the incoming vice president who ran alongside Mr Prabowo.
Mr Widodo has downplayed the dispute, saying the amendments were part of the “checks and balances” of government.
One of the protesters, Joko Anwar, said the country’s leaders appeared to be intent on keeping themselves in power.
“Eventually, we’ll just become a powerless mass of objects, even though we’re the ones who gave them power,” he said.
“We have to take to the streets. We have no choice,” he said.
On social media, blue posters with the words “Emergency Warning” above Indonesia’s symbolic national eagle have been widely shared.
According to Titi Anggraini, an elections analyst at the University of Indonesia, parliament’s move to annul the court’s decision is unconstitutional.
“This is a robbery of the constitution,” she told BBC Indonesian.
