The Issue of Political Dynasties Surfaces Ahead of the Election: How Do Citizens Respond?

The issue of political dynasties has resurfaced in the lead-up to the 2024 Indonesian General Election. This is partly due to Solo Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, President Joko Widodo's son, being touted as a potential running mate for Prabowo Subianto.

Gibran's path to becoming a vice-presidential candidate has been smoothed by the Constitutional Court (MK), which has added a clause requiring "experience as a regional head" as a condition for presidential and vice-presidential candidates in Article 169(q) of Law No. 7 of 2017 concerning Elections.

So, what are the opinions of Indonesian citizens regarding the practice of political dynasties in Indonesia?

According to a survey by Kurious-Katadata Insight Center (KIC), 55.3% of respondents disagreed with the practice of political dynasties. This breaks down to 33.7% who said they disagreed and 21.6% who strongly disagreed.

On the other hand, 44.6% of respondents said they agreed with political dynasties. This includes 26.6% who agreed and 18% who strongly agreed.

Jokowi declined to comment on Gibran Rakabuming Raka's rising profile as a potential vice-presidential candidate. "I reiterate that I do not interfere in the selection of presidential or vice-presidential candidates," Jokowi said, as reported by *Katadata.co.id* on Tuesday (17/10/2023).

Jokowi stated that the selection of presidential and vice-presidential candidates is the prerogative of political parties and coalitions of political parties. This is stipulated in Law No. 7 of 2017 concerning Elections. "So, please ask the political parties; that's their domain," Jokowi said.

Separately, the Gerindra Party's daily chairman, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, said that the Constitutional Court's ruling on the requirements for presidential and vice-presidential candidates opens up the possibility of Gibran Rakabuming Raka becoming Prabowo Subianto's running mate.

"This not only opens opportunities for Mas Gibran, but also for current or former directly-elected regional heads," Dasco said on Monday (16/10/2023).

The survey involved 661 respondents spread across various regions of Indonesia, with 51.7% male respondents and 48.3% female respondents.

More than half of the respondents were from Java (excluding Jakarta) (66.9%), followed by Jakarta (13.5%), and Sumatra (12.3%). The proportion of respondents from Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali-Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku-Papua ranged from 0.2% to 2.6%.

The majority of respondents were aged between 25-34 years (37.8%), followed by the 35-44 year age group (27.5%) and the 45-54 year age group (16.8%).

The survey was conducted from October 6-9, 2023, using the computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) method, with a margin of error of approximately 3.81% and a 95% confidence level.