Less than four months before Indonesia's election, an Australian-educated 36-year-old with just two years of mayoral experience has been catapulted towards the vice-presidency.
What Gibran Rakabuming Raka lacks in political experience or qualifications to lead almost 300 million people, he makes up for with personal connections.
His father, Joko Widodo, is in his final year of a decade as president and will have to stand down due to term limits in 2024.
But Jokowi, as he's known in Indonesia, remains remarkably popular, helping his oldest son to a landslide victory in the city of Solo two years ago.
Gibran has since been known as a hands-on mayor who gets things done — a reputation partly earned by his dad backing several of his construction projects.
Schooled in Singapore, Gibran also spent time studying at the University of Technology in Sydney in 2010, and he established a catering business before entering politics.
He has also cultivated a popular following through social media, with a distinctively dry sense of humour in his posts.
Less than four months before Indonesia's election, an Australian-educated 36-year-old with just two years of mayoral experience has been catapulted towards the vice-presidency.
What Gibran Rakabuming Raka lacks in political experience or qualifications to lead almost 300 million people, he makes up for with personal connections.
His father, Joko Widodo, is in his final year of a decade as president and will have to stand down due to term limits in 2024.
But Jokowi, as he's known in Indonesia, remains remarkably popular, helping his oldest son to a landslide victory in the city of Solo two years ago.
Gibran has since been known as a hands-on mayor who gets things done — a reputation partly earned by his dad backing several of his construction projects.
Schooled in Singapore, Gibran also spent time studying at the University of Technology in Sydney in 2010, and he established a catering business before entering politics.
He has also cultivated a popular following through social media, with a distinctively dry sense of humour in his posts.
But the rise of Gibran could be the latest twist in the intense rivalry between Indonesia's most powerful man and the nation's most powerful woman.
Jokowi owes his career to Megawati Sukarnoputri, a highly influential party boss that helped put him in office.
As his own political career draws to a close, these two kingmakers are locked in a battle to shape Indonesia for years to come.
'If you don't like them, don't vote for them' Dozens of protesters on the streets of Jakarta decried the court's decision this week as a setback for Indonesia's judicial independence.
On social media, a popular parody account for Gibran greeted news of the ruling with a comment, "Thank you, uncle", in an apparent reference to Usman's refusal to excuse himself.
When asked earlier in the week on a talk show about political dynasties, Gibran told the host: "If you don't like them, don't vote for them".
But despite the media frenzy, at no point has Gibran said publicly he will seek the vice presidency, even though the petitions to change candidate eligibility were widely seen as an attempt to position him for a run.
"I think it's orchestrated by the elites, they've been talking about Gibran for some time even though they know he's not eligible," said Bivitri Susanti.
"It's like they were pushing the judges," she said, arguing the legal reasoning for the change "wasn't logical".
The timing is delicate.
Three men are positioning themselves for a tilt at the presidency in February's election next year – Prabowo Subianto, Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Baswedan.
In the run-up, they have been manoeuvring to form alliances, lock in support and build coalitions in Indonesia's relatively fluid political party system.
It's fluid to the point where President Joko Widodo is publicly turning up to support his political party's successor candidate Ganjar Pranowo, but is sending signals that he actually prefers Ganjar's main rival Prabowo.
And despite Joko Widodo beating Prabowo twice in acrimonious elections, his son Gibran is now rumoured to be one of four potential running mates Prabowo is considering for the upcoming campaign.
"Prabowo is of an age where he thinks it's his destiny to be president and this is really his last chance to do it," Greg Fealy, an Indonesia expert at Australia National University said.
"If he does choose Gibran as his running mate, that will be the ultimate signal on just how far he's willing to go to win the election."
A second son secures the dynasty When Joko Widodo came to power a decade ago in a thumping victory over Prabowo, he was hailed as much more down to Earth than previous presidents.
His predecessor was a former military general, and before him, the president was the daughter of Indonesia's independence hero and first post-colonial leader Sukarno.
Somehow a furniture salesman from a small city managed to cut a path to the presidential palace without the family or institutional connections normally needed.
That was very much part of his appeal during his rapid rise from mayor of Solo and then governor of Jakarta.
But 10 years later, some critics feel Jokowi has been changed by the system of power, creating the same sort of powerful elite family dynasty that defined many of his rivals.
Not only has he embraced former opponents like Prabowo to build a super-coalition for consolidating his legislative power, he's also made politics the family business.
Gibran's run for mayor of Solo two years ago was only the start.
Jokowi's younger son Kaesang Pangarep was recently installed as chairman of a small political party, which he only joined two days earlier.
Having built a profile on YouTube, 28-year-old Kaesang declared he wants to follow in his father's footsteps with a political career.
And stating the obvious about his rapid rise in a party he'd just joined, he declared "privilege exists".
Jokowi’s son-in-law has also capitalised on the family’s popularity, entering politics to become the mayor of the city of Medan in 2021.
Many people in Indonesia though are welcoming of a new Joko Widodo family dynasty, with Gibran enjoying high approval ratings in his hometown of Solo.
"The constitutional court ruling has given a chance for alternative qualified candidates who were previously barred from running by the minimum age limit," said Fahri Hamzah, a former member of Indonesia's parliament who heads a new party that's supportive of President Widodo.
"The court ruling didn't lower the age requirement but did open up opportunities for younger people who have executive experience. It's good for our nation."
The growing rivalry between two powerful families Gibran's potential candidacy could fuel the growing rivalry between the Jokowi family and the Sukarno dynasty.
Indonesia's most powerful woman, Megawati Sukarnoputri, is the chair and party matriarch of the PDI-P.
She was once instrumental in Jokowi's rise, setting aside her presidential ambitions for her own daughter to back his candidacy in 2014.
His popularity as governor of Jakarta combined with the powerful political machine Megawati threw behind him worked well at the polls.
But their alliance has not always been an easy one, with both Megawati and Jokowi locked in a struggle to be the most powerful person in the PDI-P.
"They don't talk about it publicly, but you see it in the body language," Dr Feely said.
"She’d have Jokowi on the stage but she would do the speeches. She would make it clear who is in control."
In 2015, Megawati delivered a fiery speech with Jokowi in attendance, during which she effectively said the president was nothing but a party official and that his job was to remain in her service.
She said she had faced "many betrayals," adding that "multiple times I was stabbed in the back" because of "political ambitions for power".
With his time in office running out, Jokowi appears to be trying to set up a rival power base in opposition to the kingmaker who did so much to propel him into higher office.
His support for his own party's candidate, Ganjar Pranowo, is seen as decidedly lukewarm.
And some experts predict Gibran could ditch his affiliation with the PDI-P and run as VP on Prabowo Subianto's ticket.
If that happens, it would be a huge blow to Megawati.
"She's cut Jokowi out of key decisions, in public, to humiliate [him] ... Jokowi can see if Ganjar becomes president, his legacy will be at risk because Megawati has different priorities," Dr Fealy said.
"It looks like Prabowo on the other hand will continue the legacy, rather than picking it apart."
It would all but ensure a new political dynastic rivalry in Indonesia for many years to come.
"The public is sick of the dynasties, and I think the court decision was the tipping point," said Bivitri Susanti.
"There are many people who feel that decision is just wrong."
That public anger could put a pause on Jokowi's aspirations, according to Dr Fealy.
"It’s a problem for Gibran and Jokowi because they don’t want a backlash, so there could still be a decision it’s better for him to wait," he said.
"A big part of the decision is whether the polls say he has a chance. The bottom line is they do not want to jeopardise the dynasty."
By Indonesia correspondent Bill Birtles
Original article link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-20/new-indonesian-dynasty/102995142
Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations
