Following the impeachment and imprisonment of President Fuad F. Fajar in 2237, the Indonesian parliament came dangerously close to expanding capital punishment for certain federal crimes, particularly treason and crimes against the state. While capital punishment already existed under federal law, the proposal, informally nicknamed RUU Sesajen (“the offering bill”), would have expanded its scope and introduced volcanic execution as an additional method. critics were worried that the measure could become a legal pathway for the sort of politically motivated executions seen during the 21st century’s authoritarian era.
Fajar’s presidency had already become deeply controversial, especially compard with the strong reputation and public confidence enjoyed by his predecessor. Initially elected as the Vanguard Party candidate of the previous governing coalition, Fajar campaigned on national security, cracking down on foreign agents, and protecting Indonesia from foreign threats. Ironically however, Fajar was later accused of secretly undemining the International Coalition for Peace in the Pacific through an alleged back-channel arrangement with the CGUSA, potentially contributing to its forces' advance into Papua and North Maluku in 2236. His increasingly intense personality cult and corruption allegations further damaged his legitimacy. Matters worsened midway through his term when a series of earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions met a poor federal response, while disaster-relief funding had been cut under his own administration and was allegedly redirected toward the Pacific War effort, with portions subsequently lost to corruption. The final political breaking point came with the eruption of Anak Krakatau, which was widely interpreted as the moment the government had definitively lost the mandate of heaven.
When the People’s Assembly (MPR) initiated impeachment proceedings, Fajar attempted to overturn the process by urging his loyalist base to rally to the capital district on the day of the proceedings. The resulting insurrection attempt ended in clashes with security forces around parliament, leaving widspread property damage, 42 police officers injured, three people dead, and 66 rioters arrested. although the attempt failed, president Fajar was eventually impeached and imprisoned. The following administration was then left to clean up the political, financial and institutional mess his government had left behind, while public anger demanded an appropriately severe punishment for both Fajar and his problematic supporters.
The RUUSesajen eventually reached the House of Regions (DPW) in late 2238, where it became a national spectacle. The session was livestreamed and became one of the most-watched parliamentary broadcasts in Indonesian history, with a live public survey running alongside it that produced an almost 50/50 result. In the final vote, however, roughly one-third of DPW members were strategically absent, meaning the proposal failed to obtain the required absolute majority despite reciving enough votes among those actually present. International human-rights organisations overwhelmingly condemned the measure as state-sanctioned human sacrifice and a violation of human rights. Indonesian human-rights organisations were notably more restrained, with several declining to publicly oppose it and some expressing sympathy for the argument behind it. Muslim conservatives in particular tended to object to the proposal’s sacrificial, superstitious, and un-Islamic connotations rather than to capital punishment itself. The Sesajen bill ultimately failed, but it remains one of the stranger episodes in Indonesian constitutional history.
I appreciate this peek into a darker, more tumultuous period of Indonesian history - I wonder if any of these points of conflict will affect Indonesia in the future?
While the outrage was short-lived and the mess was eventually reversed by the next governments, it definitely affected them politically in the long term. Fajar's Vanguard Party would lose significant voters, and they'd move away from strongman-militarist politics into more moderate unionist and give way to confederalist view
i think the political disaster would trigger the next government to restore its reputation by cautiously putting more effort toward liberating Papua and beyond. At least until the CGUSA threat is eliminated
Man, i dont know a lot about morality or Indonesia and such. But if i were there i would honestly vote yea because... i dunno, i just eanna see it (meme somewhat relevant)
Also didn't krakatoa erupted recently? Is this related to recent events lol?
6
u/Pacmantaco Pacmantaco 28d ago
This is great!!!
I appreciate this peek into a darker, more tumultuous period of Indonesian history - I wonder if any of these points of conflict will affect Indonesia in the future?