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A supporter of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta
Photo: Mast Irham / EPA
SPIEGEL
: Young people in Indonesia are crucial in the presidential election - half of the 200 million eligible voters are under 30 years old. What is driving this generation?
Widyawati
: Let’s look at the young women in the country. They are hardly represented in politics; The parliament in Indonesia is very male-dominated. All three candidates for the presidency are men. This leads to their needs being overlooked. There is great gender inequality in Indonesia. In the home, at work. How women are seen in public, who is in charge. Women find it harder to find a job. Most work in the clothing sector or as domestic workers. Salaries there are extremely low, working hours are long, and there is hardly any social security. There is also the problem of sexual violence: at home, in the office, in the city. The newspapers report attacks on women every day.
SPIEGEL
: Do these problems play a role in the election?
Widyawati
: I watched the TV debates. The topic of sexual violence or inequality was never discussed. None of the candidates take things like that seriously. And if so, then only as empty promises. There is, for example, the idea that pregnant women should be supported with food packages. But that doesn't solve the inequality. With our organization we try to educate women about their rights.
SPIEGEL
: How are queer people doing in the country?
Widyawati
: They are not recognized. So officially they don't exist. Being queer is considered a sin. How do you survive there? Exactly, just very badly. They cannot find jobs and are extremely discriminated against. Many suffer from depression and live in poverty. They are persecuted or excluded from the villages. If you can't officially be gay or transsexual, queer people can't get information either. Many people don't understand their bodies well and can't find help.
SPIEGEL
: Indonesia is predominantly Muslim. What does religion have to do with all this?
Widyawati
: We are an Islamic country, but at the same time we have always been a tolerant society. And one thing first: Indonesia is spread over thousands of islands. The level of development is not the same everywhere in the country. However, over the last five to ten years, more and more politicians have used religion to incite sentiment against women and the LGBT community. These are parties like the Prosperous Justice Party PKS or groups that specifically go to factories and public places to convince people of their ideas. They sometimes want to exclude women from the workplace or enforce a kind of curfew for women at certain times. They are against laws that prohibit sexual violence. Many people are now afraid of being considered non-Muslim. In many families it is established that a woman has to obey unconditionally.
SPIEGEL
: What consequences does that have?
Widyawati
: Wives don't dare go to the police if they've been hurt. Out of fear. There are too few places of refuge, such as women's shelters, where victims can turn. There was a big controversy a few years ago about whether girls should be required to wear the hijab in schools. This was rejected after much protest. The state has offered no counter to these intolerant currents. The government was asleep or accepted developments. It must be said: Women are also heavily oppressed in the Christian communities in Indonesia, and violence against them is increasing there too.
SPIEGEL
: Indonesia was ruled by Joko Widodo for ten years. A president who is extremely popular among the population and internationally respected.
Widyawati
: He only took care of the infrastructure, building roads and railway connections. It was about investments, progress, renewal. That impressed many. Because he got things done. But Widodo has completely lost sight of social issues. He messed up a lot there. He didn't care about normal people with his politics. Our problems are big. There is a law against domestic violence, but there are problems with its implementation. Young people can't find jobs, even though they write dozens of applications every day. It's been that way since the pandemic. If they find work, it is in the informal sector, in precarious conditions. Food prices have risen enormously. The school education is not good.
SPIEGEL
: As far as the current election campaign is concerned: Widodo was no longer able to run himself. To do this, he put his son alongside his rival Prabowo Subianto as his running mate. He is actively interfering in the election, which is not allowed. And with Prabowo he supports a man who is accused of serious human rights crimes. But young people in particular like Prabowo. Why?
Widyawati
: Prabowo could actually win this election. For me this is a very dangerous man. If he becomes president, it will mean that criminals will go unpunished in Indonesia. And that presidents can build dynasties without democracy hindering them. I think young people have no memory of the time when Prabowo committed these acts. Many were not yet born then. He has also successfully portrayed himself on social media as a cute uncle, a harmless guy. His election campaign is extremely successful, especially on TikTok. The fact that young people unquestioningly find it good also shows how bad our education system is. They haven't learned to be critical. There is too little teaching about Indonesia's recent history. The girls and boys who vote for the first time are easily manipulated.
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