The candidates, and the parties behind them, are mounting a challenge to the dominance of the ruling coalition linked to Jokowi and his successor Prabowo Subianto, especially in strategic battlefields such as on Java Island.

But we should not forget the role of protesters, students, civil society group activists, artists and many others, who took to streets to force the political elites to stop their conniving to circumvent the court rulings.

They rallied outside the House of Representatives, the Constitutional Court, the General Elections Commission (KPU) in Jakarta and in several cities to oppose the maneuvering of the powers that be to bend the law. As usual they had to fend off tear gas and excessive use of force by security personnel.

It took less than a day of protests for lawmakers and the government to finally bow to the popular demand for compliance with the court’s rulings.

The announcement calmed some of the protesters. But smaller demonstrations continued in several places in Jakarta and other cities over the weekend until the House permitted the KPU to adopt the court-ordered election rules.

It was thanks to “peringatan darurat” (emergency warning), a viral symbol of mass disobedience that went viral on social media, and other online campaigns to keep policymakers in check that people were moved to join the huge demonstrations.

The picture is a mock-up of a state of emergency alert screen, showing the national emblem Garuda Pancasila on a blue background and accompanied by messages claiming that Indonesia’s democracy is in a state of emergency.

The younger generation amplified the criticism across different social media platforms, showing their awareness to counter the backsliding on hard-won democracy, which began at the start of Jokowi’s second presidential term.

In another instance, social media users referred to Jokowi by his birth name Mulyono to express their anger with the outgoing leader, who looks intent on solidifying his political dynasty before leaving office in October.

Kaesang and his wife Erina Gudono have also become the subject of public anger for flexing their trip on a private jet to the United States amid the nationwide demonstrations.

It was perhaps the largest wave of protests, and certainly the most successful, that the country has seen since the student demonstrations against the new Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law in 2019.

Before last week’s protests, mass demonstrations against the government and lawmakers had been ignored or were met with state violence.

Young people, who will take over the national leadership in the future, have done us all a favor by standing up to ill-advised attempts to subvert the rule of law. They deserve our gratitude for maintaining democracy, living up to its original meaning of rule by the people.

Thank you for protesting.