Adelia Anjani Putri, Jakarta – Indonesians took to social media on Friday to channel their anger and disappointment at the House of Representatives' decision to scrap direct elections of regional leaders.
Just hours after lawmakers voted 226-135 in favor of the bill in the early hours of Friday, Indonesians started to flood Twitter with messages.
"Lawmakers elected through a transactional process voted for appointment of local leaders through a transactional process = poverty and the death of the people," recently ousted PAN politician Wanda Hamidah said through her account @wanda_hamidah.
Another user, Erros Chandika (@dikanchut), expressed his disappointment: "SBY said that he wants to leave a good legacy for the country, but he couldn't even do anything when his party walked out."
By mid-morning the hashtag #ShameOnYouSBY was trending – a dig at President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his Democratic Party, which walked out on the plenary session, effectively sealing the bill's fate.
Iman Syafei, using the @imanlagi Twitter handle, asked his followers to popularize #ShameOnYouSBY in a bid to derail Yudhoyono's attempt to score a job at the UN. It, along with others like #RIPDemokrasi, are now topping trending lists.
About 81 percent of Indonesians are in favor of being allowed to vote directly for regional leaders, according to the results of a recent poll by the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI), but unease about the bill's passing wasn't just limited to the general public. Many political figures also turned to Twitter.
Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil said: "This country's democracy has experienced a setback. Your kids, grandchildren, all of us, can no longer choose their local leaders directly. Do you know that with this indirect election the fate of the future leaders in the regions will be on the elites' hands?"
He also said he – with other local leaders – would file an appeal to the Constitutional Court for a judicial review. "As we committed before, all mayors and regents in the APEKSI and APKASI forum will file for a judicial review to the Constitutional Court. May God be with us."
Many Twitter users, keen to see the bill overturned, have already started pinning their hopes on Constitutional Court Chief Justice Hamdan Zoelva.
Didik Prasetiyono (@didonkz) tweeted: "In @hamdanzoelva we trust," along with a picture of the chief in a meme saying, "calm down, it's my turn."
Comedian Ernest Prakasa (@ernestprakasa) asked the judge to, "Do your thing, save the day once again. While Asnanto (@asnanto1) tweeted: "For Mr. Hamdan Zoelva and colleagues, you're our last hope for the better future of Indonesia. Please be The Avengers once again!" referring to the Marvel Comics' superheroes.
Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesians-take-social-media-vent-regional-elections-law/