The 72-year-old presidential candidate, Prabowo Subainto, has gone viral in Indonesia through his large presence on TikTok. Videos of him dancing in front of a large crowd with his signature moves have quickly spread among its 125 million users, successfully rebranding him as a cute, cuddly grandfather figure. His most viewed campaign post on the presidential debate has even reached 49 million views. Considering Indonesia’s large pool of young eligible voters who receive information through social media, this involvement may be impacting the election results.
As the world’s third-largest democracy, Indonesia held its fifth election on February 14th. With the incumbent, Joko Widodo, concluding his two-term presidency after his initial election victory in 2014, the general elections featured three candidates: Prabowo Subianto, Anies Baswedan, and Ganjar Pranowo. While official results are pending until March 20th, quick counts suggest around 60% support for Prabowo. However, despite the recent popularity of this candidate among young voters in Indonesia, concerns have been raised about his potential rise to power.
Concerns for Prabowo trace back to the 1990s when he served as an army general under the authoritarian rule of Suharto, who governed for three decades until the late 1990s. In 1983, Prabowo was involved in commanding forces for the Kraras massacre in East Timor, an Indonesian-occupied territory from 1975 to 1999. He was also accused of abducting pro-democracy student activists during protests against the Suharto regime in 1998. These human rights violations led to his discharge from the military and exile in Jordan. In 2014, he was banned from the United States for these actions. However, despite this controversy, Prabowo’s new image, formed from social media, is sustaining a large support base. This is especially common among the younger generation of TikTok users who are less familiar with the nation’s history.
Prabowo’s choice of running mate for the Vice President position has further stirred controversy. Despite a law prohibiting individuals under 40 from running for candidacy, 36-year-old Gibran Rakabuming Raka has been an exception as the eldest son of the incumbent. Prabowo, who has lost the presidential election twice to Joko, not only was appointed as the defence minister by Joko in 2019 but is also now running alongside Joko’s own son. This strategic placement may be indicative of Prabowo’s aim to finally gain the presidency in his third run through the support of Gibran who not only inherits popularity from his father but who also garners significant support through TikTok. Some of his posts have received over 20 million views.
With the two candidates running together, some have questioned the potential decline of democracy in Indonesia. Along with Prabowo’s controversial past, he has recently expressed a desire to return Indonesia to an authoritarian regime without direct elections. Moreover, Gibran’s rise to power that will maintain close ties with Joko can be seen as a continuation of the influence in the current administration.
Nevertheless, it is quite evident that Prabowo’s era of presidency is imminent. Indonesia has experienced a shift in the demographics of eligible voters, and a tech-savvy candidate has fully utilized it. With an exceptionally large base of TikTok users, it has inevitably become a powerful campaigning tool in Indonesian politics, capable of influencing the future trajectories of the nation.
Edited by Amina Kudrati-Plummer
Shihun Lee is a first year student at McGill University, currently pursuing a B.A. degree in Economics and International Development Studies. She joined Catalyst as a staff writer this year and is particularly interested in international relations and human rights.