Its ethical core has been replaced by cheap political theater, abuses of power and hollow symbolism, a cynical betrayal of the very principles that once grounded leadership in the archipelago. The rupture between belief and practice has become increasingly stark.

D. Nicky Fahrizal, a researcher at the politics and social change department at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said Javanese spiritual traditions in contemporary politics often produce a system in which loyalty outweighs competence.

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“One of the most important teachings is to avoid being arbitrary or arrogant, and to be rich without wealth,” Nicky said. “Yet many forget that in Javanese mythology, power is not eternal, it is a trust. When leaders become obsessed with holding on to power, their decisions are often misguided. Not all power is meant to be passed down to one’s children.”

Javanese culture, he added, emphasizes moderation and restraint.

“People are taught to take only what they need from nature, to avoid excess. Overly developmentalist policies disrupt this triangular balance between humans, nature and the divine. When nature is damaged, disasters follow and it is ordinary people who suffer,” Nicky said in an interview in late November.

Imam Mubarok, chairman of the Kediri Arts and Culture Council, traced this deep-seated political anxiety to an ancient Javanese text, the Kalingga Dharmasastra. The manuscript allegedly warns that any leader harboring corrupt intentions who enters Kediri, a city in East Java, will “fall”, their eventual loss of power foreshadowed by supernatural disturbance.

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