Hundreds of Indonesian students and activists staged protests on Monday (Feb 12) over what they see as outgoing President Joko Widodo’s abuse of power to sway voters in this week’s election in favour of frontrunner Prabowo Subianto, organisers said.
Jokowi, as the incumbent is known, has not explicitly endorsed any of the three candidates vying to replace him as leader of the world’s third-largest democracy.
But he has made highly publicised appearances with Prabowo, and Jokowi’s eldest son is running on the same ticket as vice president.
Two opinion surveys last week projected Prabowo could secure more than 50 per cent of the votes on Wednesday, allowing him to win in a single round. Rivals Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo were seen at least 20 points behind.
Some voters have taken issue with Jokowi’s perceived lack of neutrality, saying it undermines Indonesia’s democracy by giving one candidate an unfair advantage.
Students gathered in Yogyakarta on Java island, banging bamboo instruments and holding posters painted with “bring Jokowi and his cronies to justice”.
“Jokowi was once called a new hope, we call him a new disaster,” one demonstrator said
The protest organiser Aksi Gejayan Memanggil said on Instagram that “the ethical and moral breaches by Jokowi show that he is against a critical public voice”.
Another protest was planned in the capital Jakarta by several rights groups.
The presidential office has denied political meddling by Jokowi.
