Are Indonesia’s political dynasties back? Ask Jokowi’s son Gibran – or his son-in-law Bobby

The Indonesian president once wowed voters by NOT hailing from a dynasty. Now some wonder if he’s starting one of his own

Polls show Indonesians are fed up with dynasties, but as Gibran seeks the job that made his father, his family links may yet give him the edge

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Gibran Rakabuming Raka, eldest son of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, during the campaign trail in Surakarta. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:00pm, 10 Oct 2020Updated: 5:33pm, 10 Oct 2020

When Joko Widodo came to power in 2014 he broke the mould for Indonesian presidents. His surprise victory made him the first not to hail from one of the country’s political or military dynasties.

Fast forward six years, however, and the emergence of both his eldest son and son-in-law as candidates in looming nationwide local elections have prompted speculation the Widodo family may become a dynasty of its own.

Widodo’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 33, a culinary businessman, will on December 9 stand in the mayoral elections for the city of Solo in Central Java – the very same job that paved the way for his father’s political success. Meanwhile, Widodo’s son-in-law, Bobby Nasution, is also running for a mayoral seat, in North Sumatra.

Their candidacies come even as a Kompas Daily Research and Development Department survey in August found 61 per cent of Indonesians were “fed-up” with political dynasties.

As Muhammad Najih Arromadloni, a Muslim scholar and member of Nadhlatu Ulama, the country’s largest Muslim organisation, put it: “Political dynasties do not produce leaders of good quality.”

EXCEPTION TO THE RULE?