JAKARTA: Hundreds of Indonesian college students and activists staged protests on Monday (Feb 12) over what they see as outgoing President Joko Widodo’s abuse of energy to sway voters on this week’s election in favour of frontrunner Prabowo Subianto, organisers stated.
Jokowi, because the incumbent is thought, has not explicitly endorsed any of the three candidates vying to exchange him as chief of the world’s third-largest democracy.
But he has made extremely publicised appearances with Prabowo, and Jokowi’s eldest son is working on the identical ticket as vice chairman.
Two opinion surveys final week projected Prabowo might safe greater than 50 per cent of the votes on Wednesday, permitting him to win in a single spherical. Rivals Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo had been seen at the least 20 factors behind.
Some voters have taken challenge with Jokowi’s perceived lack of neutrality, saying it undermines Indonesia’s democracy by giving one candidate an unfair benefit.
Students gathered in Yogyakarta on Java island, banging bamboo devices 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 stated.
The protest organiser Aksi Gejayan Memanggil stated on Instagram that “the ethical and moral breaches by Jokowi show that he is against a critical public voice”.
Another protest was deliberate within the capital Jakarta by a number of rights teams.
The presidential workplace has denied political meddling by Jokowi.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/indonesia-students-plan-protest-alleged-poll-interference-4117646
