The rise of the Jokowi dynasty in Indonesia is a significant development in the country’s political culture. Joko Widodo’s presidency was seen as a milestone as he was the first president not from the political, military, or Islamic establishment. After one term, the foundations for his own political family were laid, with his son Gibran Rakabuming Raka being elected Mayor of Surakarta in 2021. However, unlike other political dynasties in Indonesia, the Widodo family does not have an exclusive political vehicle in the form of its own party. As a result, the family is dependent on decisions made by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) executive, namely Megawati Sukarnoputri.
The first challenge for the Widodo family will be to secure incumbency for family members currently in politics, including Gibran and Jokowi’s son-in-law Bobby Nasution. Both men have asserted their ambitions to run for governorships, but the PDI-P executive has not yet affirmed these moves. The second generation of the Jokowi dynasty must make strategic decisions about where and with whom they set their electoral targets.
Jokowi has defended his family and individual members’ decisions to enter politics, arguing that proper registration and electoral processes are being followed. However, the rise of the Jokowi dynasty is a symptom of a political culture in Indonesia that is increasingly open to ‘family’ as another category of political actors alongside oligarchs and parties. It is also a symptom of a society.
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