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In Indonesia, claims against Joko Widodo’s wife highlight nation’s history of ‘political misogyny’
- There are allegations that Indonesia’s First Lady Iriana Widodo masterminded the vice-presidential candidacy of her son Gibran
- Indonesia has a history of first ladies facing ‘political misogyny’ in which they often bore the brunt of their husbands’ missteps or ‘failings’, critics say
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Iriana Widodo, wife of Indonesia’s outgoing President Joko Widodo, has been known as a reserved first lady, generally keen to stay out of the limelight during her husband’s nine years in office.
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For the past few weeks, however, her name has set Indonesian social media abuzz with heated debate over allegations that she masterminded the vice-presidential candidacy of her son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as the running mate of leading presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.
The allegations against Iriana went viral after YouTube political talk show Bocor Alus ran a report on November 18, titled “Ambisi dan manuver Ibu Suri (Ambitions and Manoeuvres by the Queen Mother)”. Tempo, which produces the podcast and publishes a well-regarded news magazine of the same name, followed suit with a cover story on the same topic the next day.
“What a plot twist! Someone who was respected and held in high regard turns out to be a monster!” wrote a YouTube user in response to the video of Bocor Alus’ report.
The magazine claimed in its report that Iriana was the true driving force and mastermind behind Gibran’s candidacy, alleging she cajoled her husband into instructing then-Constitutional Court Presiding Judge Anwar Usman – who is married to the president’s sister – to deliver a favourable verdict that would allow their 36-year-old son to get around the 40-year-old minimum age requirement for presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
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On October 23, Indonesia’s top court upheld the minimum age but with a provision that allows anyone who has held elected office to qualify, paving the way for Gibran, who is currently the mayor of Surakarta, to become a vice-presidential candidate.
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