21-8-2024 (JAKARTA) A wave of public outrage has swept across social media following the DPR’s (Indonesian House of Representatives) decision to pass the Regional Elections Bill (RUU Pilkada). The uproar has been symbolised by the widespread sharing of a ‘Emergency Warning’ poster, emblazoned with the Garuda Pancasila emblem on a blue background.
The ‘Emergency Warning’ poster originates from a video clip uploaded by the YouTube channel EAS Indonesia Concept. This channel, known for its fictional horror videos inspired by the United States’ Emergency Alert System (EAS), has captured public attention with its unique approach to storytelling. The EAS in the US is a national emergency warning system designed to broadcast urgent messages during television and radio transmissions. EAS Indonesia Concept has adapted this format to create what is known as analogue horror, a genre that has gained popularity for its unsettling, fictitious content.
But why has this video gone viral now?
The video clip has been repurposed by the public as a form of protest against the DPR’s approval of the Regional Elections Bill, which was passed on Wednesday, 21 August. This act of defiance reflects the growing public discontent with the bill, which many believe contradicts Constitutional Court rulings No. 60/PUU-XXII/2024 and 70/PUU-XXII/2024.
Critics argue that the bill fails to fully accommodate the court’s decisions, particularly concerning the minimum age requirement for gubernatorial candidates as outlined in Article 7. Instead of aligning with the Constitutional Court’s ruling, the DPR chose to adopt a decision from the Supreme Court (MA), setting the age requirement based on the candidate’s age at the time of inauguration. This decision directly opposes the earlier Constitutional Court ruling.
Additionally, the DPR has agreed that changes to the threshold requirements for regional election candidates will only apply to parties without seats in regional parliaments. Parties with seats in the regional parliaments are still required to meet the threshold of 20 percent of the seats or 25 percent of the previous election’s votes.
These decisions have sparked widespread criticism, leading to a social media movement where people are posting the ‘Emergency Warning’ poster as a metaphor for the current political situation.
The protest has garnered support from activists, public figures, musicians, filmmakers, and comedians, all of whom have shared the poster on their social media accounts.
“Emergency Warning. Our country is in an emergency/ led by criminals/ who laugh as they destroy the rules/ controlled by traitors/ who sleep soundly while the people cry out,” reads a poem by author Okky Madasari, accompanying her post of the ‘Emergency Warning’ image.
