Jakarta – Social media users across different platforms on Wednesday shared a screen grab of an emergency warning sign traditionally used for natural disasters to express concerns over possible constitutional crisis following the House of Representatives' move to block a Constitutional Court ruling that lowers the electoral threshold for the November regional election.
As of 10 p.m. Wednesday night, the screen grab of the national emblem against a blue background with the words "Peringatan Darurat" (emergency warning) has been shared more than 231,000 times on social media platform X.
The poster began trending after numerous social media personalities and influencers posted it on their accounts.
A post with the warning sign from television personality Najwa Shihab on Instagram was shared by 53,000 accounts on the social media platform. On Thursday morning, the post had received more than 3 million likes.
A post from the lead singer of Efek Rumah Kaca, Cholil Mahmud, one of the first people to upload the image, has been shared more than 8,000 times.
Writer Okky Madasari said the poster had become a symbol of resistance against efforts to violate the constitution.
"The country is in an emergency. A country led by criminals, who are laughing on their way to tear up the Constitution," Okky wrote in an Instagram post.
The Constitutional Court on Tuesday significantly lowered the minimum percentage of seats required for nominating candidates in the November regional election, potentially opening the door for popular politician Anies Baswedan and others proposed by opposition political parties to run.
The court on Tuesday also maintained the minimum age requirement of 30 for candidates contesting an election, which would make President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's 29-year-old son Kaesang Pangarep ineligible for the upcoming regional head contest.
Lawmakers at the House who allied with Jokowi and president-elect Prabowo Subianto sought to roll back the court's decision by amending the regional head election law.