Unwanted Legacy

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Indonesian lawmakers on Thursday dropped plans to amend regional election laws after violent demonstrations gripped the country over the proposed revisions that critics say will undermine democracy in the Southeast Asian nation, Bloomberg reported.

Protests erupted in a number of cities, including the capital Jakarta where thousands of demonstrators attempted to storm the parliament and threw stones at police.

The controversy initially began earlier this week after the country’s Constitutional Court dismissed a legal challenge to the minimum age for candidates running for regional governorship.

Under Indonesian law, governorship candidates must be at least 30 years old, an age limit that the petition unsuccessfully sought to remove.

The court also made it easier for smaller political parties to nominate candidates by reducing the requirement to hold 20 percent of a local legislature.

But on Wednesday, parliament passed an emergency motion nullifying the court’s decision.

That move triggered widespread condemnation and Thursday’s nationwide protests. Critics said that the proposed amendments would have expanded the political influence of outgoing President Joko Widodo and his family. Specifically, reducing the age limit would have allowed Widodo’s youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, 29, to run for the gubernatorial race in Central Java province, the Associated Press noted.

Following the unrest, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said the government has scrapped the plan to revise the law and will respect the Constitutional Court’s decision.

However, Sufmi added that the incoming lawmakers may still review the bill because there are aspects of it that need to be fine-tuned, prompting fears that lawmakers could push through the legislation.

Civil rights groups and pro-democracy activists hailed the government’s U-turn as a major win, while expressing concerns about Widodo’s presidency.

The outgoing leader has been accused of undermining the country’s democratic foundations and establishing a political dynasty.

Last year, he came under criticism after the Constitutional Court – then chaired by his brother-in-law Anwar Usman – allowed his eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to bypass age restrictions to become the incoming vice president.

He leaves office in October because of term limits.