In what could be the most tumultuous week for the country in the past five years, a nationwide protest erupted on Thursday as the House of Representatives was attempting to pass an amendment to the Regional Elections Law that would betray the very principle of the rule of law.

The political parties, almost all of which have aligned with the Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM) that supports president-elect Prabowo Subianto, had pushed for the revision that would strengthen their dominance in the November regional elections and allow President Jokowi's youngest son Kaesang Pangarep to contest a gubernatorial election.

They sought to overturn two Constitutional Court rulings that were issued to prevent political cartel practices by the KIM. The coalition, for one, had joined forces to block opposing tickets.

The KIM had also sought to nominate 29-year-old Kaesang as a deputy gubernatorial candidate in Central Java. The Constitutional Court ruling upheld the Regional Elections Law provision that sets the age limit for candidates at 30 years old.

The House’s amendment move resulted in civil disobedience. People from all walks of life, from students to professionals, organized themselves within hours and took to the streets to fight back against the ruling elites’ contempt of the court’s rulings, which are final and binding.

It was the largest wave of protests that the country has seen since the demonstrations against the new Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law in 2019.

In addition to venting their anger over the Regional Elections Law revision, on Thursday people also poured their deep-seated resentment of Jokowi, who has done everything within his power to solidify his political dynasty.

Many were caught off guard when Jokowi's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who had previously been considered ineligible to run in the presidential election, became Prabowo's running mate, and won the race.

It might have worsened on Thursday had Jokowi and his allies in the House insisted on betraying the people by bending the law to serve their own interests.

In a direct response to the protests, Gerindra, which was in charge of the House plenary session to pass the law revision in the absence of many politicians, including those from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), withdrew the law revision.

Gerindra later also dropped its nomination of Kaesang and replaced him with Taj Yasin Maimoen of the United Development Party, the former deputy governor.

In an about-face, the House and the government said they would abide by the court’s rulings. We hope that they will keep their word.

As the political party of the president-elect, Gerindra’s commitment will ensure a smooth government transition in October and fair and peaceful regional elections in November.

The entrenched patronage culture in the country’s political system dictates that other parties may want to support Gerindra’s regional head candidates in hopes of joining Prabowo’s incoming cabinet. Gerindra can dispel the trend by limiting its intervention and letting KIM members name their own candidates. This may come at the expense of losing in some regions, but it would allow candidates who receive popular support to contest.

By allowing democracy to thrive, Gerindra and the president-elect will receive stronger support from the people of the country. Strong public confidence will create political and economic stability that the Prabowo administration needs. 

As the former son-in-law of Soeharto, the dictator that was forced to resign because of public uprising in 1998, Prabowo has come a long way. He should not let himself be on the wrong side of history yet again.

As the incoming leader, Prabowo should stand with the people and protect them at all costs.