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Power, legitimacy and succession in Javanese kingship
As the nation and its people prepare to witness the transition power on Oct. 20, the Javanese system of royal succession holds clues as to what the country can expect in terms of contemporary politics.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left) and president-elect Prabowo Subianto (right) bow in greeting on Oct. 13, 2024 during their meeting in Surakarta, Central Java. (Courtesy: Prabowo's Media Team/Courtesy: Prabowo's Media Team)
Ahead of inauguration day on Oct. 20, the public was exposed to a series of controversial power plays.
On Aug. 21, just one day after the Constitutional Court lowered the nomination threshold for the regional head election in favor of a petition filed by the Labor Party and the Gelora Party, the House of Representatives held a plenary session to pass the new Regional Head Elections Law, which could overturn the Court's decision. Protests erupted, forcing lawmakers to drop the amendment.
Ten days earlier on Aug. 11, the public was shocked by the sudden resignation of Airlangga Hartarto as chairman of the Golkar Party. And as predicted, Bahlil Lahadalia was appointed as the new party chair through an accelerated national congress.
In his inaugural speech as Golkar chairman, Bahlil said the party would protect the current government until the end of its term and the new government as a continuation of the previous government. Such a standpoint, Bahlil said, was pivotal.
"If we mess with the king of Java, we are doomed,” he said.
It is unclear to whom Bahlil was referring. But his statement only confirmed that behind all the political hullabaloo was a great power equal to that of a Javanese king of ancient times.
To understand this reference to a Javanese king, one must comprehend the concepts of power, legitimacy and succession. A Javanese king is the absolute owner of lungguh (land, territory) and cacah (people). Power is not impersonal and follows the idea of rational-legal authority, where a ruler is subject to the rules of the game as agreed upon by groups in society.
