Medan, Indonesia – Because the vice presidential candidates took to the stage for Indonesia’s second televised presidential debate on Friday, all eyes had been on Gibran Rakabuming Raka – maybe probably the most controversial vice presidential candidate in Indonesia’s historical past.
Batting away fees of inexperience and nepotism, Gibran, the 36-year-old son of present Indonesian president Joko “Jokowi’ Widodo, dominated the stage regardless of being up in opposition to extra skilled candidates.
The decision amongst observers usually was that Gibran’s efficiency far exceeded expectations.
“My general impression was that any doubters who thought Gibran was a clueless light-weight have been confirmed utterly flawed,” Alexander Arifianto, a analysis fellow on the S Rajaratnam Faculty of Worldwide Research in Singapore (RSIS), instructed Al Jazeera.
“He was well-prepped for the controversy and confirmed he has a wonderful grasp on financial points. Significantly better than his two opponents.”
Since he introduced his candidacy in October, Gibran has confronted a storm of controversy, together with accusations of being a “nepo child” and a continuation of the dynastic politics which have lengthy plagued Indonesia’s politics.
With no political expertise aside from a two-year stint because the mayor of town of Surakarta in Central Java, Gibran has been accused of using on his father’s coattails – Widodo additionally served as mayor of Surakarta – and missing the bona fides of rival candidates Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar, the deputy speaker of parliament, and Mahfud MD, a minister liable for coordinating political, authorized and safety affairs.
Gibran’s candidacy was facilitated by a controversial ruling by the Constitutional Courtroom of Indonesia in October that loosened the minimal age requirement for presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Whereas the courtroom upheld the minimal age threshold of 40 in precept, the judges carved out an exception permitting officers who’re no less than 35 to run if they’ve been beforehand elected to workplace – permitting Gibran to grow to be Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto’s working mate forward of the February 14 election.
The ruling was significantly contentious because the then-head of the Constitutional Courtroom, Anwar Usman, was Widodo’s brother-in-law.
Usman was faraway from his place after the Constitutional Courtroom ethics committee discovered him at fault for not recusing himself from the choice, though the ruling on the age requirement was allowed to face.
With questions swirling concerning the legitimacy of Gibran’s candidacy and his suitability for workplace, his debut on the controversy stage on Friday night had been hotly anticipated.
“Immediately: This debate was received by Gibran. Up to now, expectations for Gibran have been very low. Principally, Gibran has by no means been examined. Within the first presidential debate, he regarded like an oddity: a highschool pupil surrounded by seasoned politicians and governors,” Yohanes Sulaiman, a lecturer at Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani in West Java, instructed Al Jazeera.
“On this debate, his efficiency was a lot better than the 2 individuals I had anticipated to eat him for lunch, specifically Mahfud MD and Muhaimin. It was clear that he was ready, assured, and had mastered the fabric, maybe having been completely educated by his debate preparation workforce.”
The second of 5 televised debates, and the primary to characteristic the vice presidential candidates, was centered on the financial system, together with points akin to taxes, commerce, administration of the state funds, infrastructure and concrete planning.
Dandy Rafitrandi, an economist with the assume tank the Centre for Strategic and Worldwide Research, mentioned the questions set by a panel of consultants had been fairly particular and required every candidate to grasp financial matters.
The candidates’ weak grasp of economics was noticeable at instances, Rafitrandi mentioned, together with when the questions turned to funding authorities initiatives and programmes.
“Gibran defined a number of programmes, for instance, a free lunch programme [for civil servants] value 400 trillion Indonesian Rupiah [$25.8bn], however didn’t clarify the supply of the funding,” Rafitrandi instructed Al Jazeera.
At one other level through the debate, Muhaimin mentioned that he and presidential candidate Anies Baswedan, the previous governor of Jakarta, needed to construct 40 new cities throughout Indonesia to rival Jakarta – with out explaining how these could be paid for.
The primary flashpoint of the night got here when the candidates sparred over Nusantara, Indonesia’s new capital metropolis, which is at present being constructed within the jungles of Kalimantan.
The plan, which was spearheaded by Widodo, includes shifting Jakarta, which is crowded, choked with smog and sinking as a result of unlawful groundwater extraction, at a projected price of $1.3bn.
The undertaking has struggled to safe overseas funding, which was envisaged to cowl nearly all of its hefty price ticket, and has solely attracted native buyers, one thing which Mahfud questioned Gibran about given his assist for the plan.
Gibran replied that Mahfud may “Google” who was investing within the undertaking and attacked Muhaimin for being “inconsistent” after beforehand backing the scheme.
Mahfud additionally beforehand supported Nusantara, and solely Anies and Muhaimin have mentioned that they might cancel the undertaking if elected, arguing the cash may very well be higher spent elsewhere in Kalimantan and different components of the nation.
Nusantara isn’t anticipated to be a deciding issue within the election, with some latest polls displaying that Prabowo and Gibran have a 20-point lead over Ganjar Pranowo, the previous governor of Central Java, and Mahfud MD.
“Gibran was the clear winner of tonight’s debate. It has set the bar excessive and it will likely be more durable for each Anies’s and Ganjar’s groups to meet up with them, particularly in terms of financial system and funding points,” RSIS’s Arifianto mentioned.
“Sadly, each Mahfud and Muhaimin are single-issue candidates who’re good just for their points [law and religious issues respectively] however not so good in others.”
Nonetheless, not everybody was impressed with Gibran’s dynamic efficiency, saying that it positioned model above substance.
“He was higher rehearsed in comparison with the opposite two candidates, which is able to probably impress some voters. Nonetheless, his responses lacked coverage substance, counting on a mix of slogans and factoids,” Ian Wilson, a lecturer in politics and safety research at Murdoch College in Perth, Australia, instructed Al Jazeera.
However whereas Gibran might wish to get away from the “nepo child” tag, it might be tough to shake off his household’s picture altogether, Wilson added.
“Gibran confirmed that he’s, regardless of makes an attempt to model himself as a recent pondering millennial, very a lot nonetheless his father’s son, doubling down on a dedication to persevering with signature Jokowi insurance policies such because the Nusantara capital metropolis undertaking,” he mentioned.