Social media savvy: Gibran taking part in the vice-presidential election debate at the Jakarta Convention Center. — AFP
Beyond the mission statements that each presidential and VP candidate brought to the stage, the first two election debates were also breeding grounds for memes.
A meme, which can be defined as a parody item used on social media, is not uncommon among the younger generation of Indonesians born and raised in the internet era.
With millennials and Gen Z making up over half of the voting population for the February presidential and legislative elections, memes have naturally become part of the conversation online.
After the vice-presidential candidates took to the stage last week, internet users hit social media to humorously take jabs at the candidates and their presentations during the debate.
A highlight, for example, was the back-and-forth between contenders Gibran Rakabuming Raka and Muhaimin Iskandar, with the former asking the latter’s thoughts on “the SGIE”, an abbreviation of the State of the Global Islamic Economy report.
When Muhaimin asked what the acronym meant, Gibran spelled it out, adding: “Sorry if the question is too difficult for you.”
The audience picked it up and twisted it into their own versions of the scene on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“My question is simple, just one. Do you want to buy the SUGDW apple?” a user posted on X the next day, describing the acronym as “Super Ultra Great Delicious Wonderful Apple”, complete with Gibran’s snarky comment.
Memes from the debate also came in picture format.
VP candidate Mahfud MD, who took many by surprise after donning a Madurese traditional costume of red-and-white-striped T-shirt, black jacket and red headdress, was compared by an X user to an animation character from Japan’s famed Studio Ghibli.
Others on X likened Mahfud to the Mickey Mouse standee at Uniqlo clothing store wearing a similar costume.
Muhaimin received further meme treatment from a scene of him jotting down notes during the debate.
In one case, an X user posted a meme showing what Muhaimin had put down: a step-by-step sketch of a childlike drawing.
A sea of users then commented with their own variations of the meme.
Gibran, the only millennial candidate and known for being social media literate, also inspired the spawning of various memes featuring the saying “let him cook” after he tweeted the slang himself shortly after the debate ended.
The catchphrase means to give a person space to plot their seeming success but it can be used either to support or mock someone.
It has been used by Twitter users in the past and became more popular on TikTok last year.
This year’s election season has been rife with internet memes.
The highlights of the first debate on Dec 12, involving only presidential candidates, were also subject to the youths’ banter on social media.
Former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, for example, was depicted in a meme video posted on X as a non-combatant during the debate.
Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto was also turned into a meme for breaking into spontaneous dance during the debate, a gimmick seen by many as a defence mechanism to counter other candidates’ questions.
A user shared this sentiment through a meme on X, garnering almost 300,000 views. But the result was not without careful consideration.
Throughout the campaign season, Prabowo and his team have been building his new image, from the military hardman to a gemoy (adorable) persona with a penchant for spontaneous dance.
Though Prabowo said the gemoy label came organically from grassroots supporters, his team has incorporated his new persona into the merchandise and posters of the Prabowo-Gibran pair in a bid to lure young voters.
As a millennial himself, Gibran is also no stranger to memes.
The Surakarta mayor wore a famous confused-looking Jackie Chan meme pin on his light-blue shirt during the election number draw at the General Elections Commission (KPU) in November.
The latest electability surveys show that Prabowo-Gibran have maintained a significant lead over their rivals Anies Baswedan and running mate Muhaimin as well as Ganjar and running mate Mahfud, who were neck and neck for second place.
Former Jakarta governor Anies was also in on the meme project as he came up with the slogan “Wakanda No More, Indonesia Forever” at the end of the first debate, which took the internet by storm.
Wakanda, a fictional country in the Marvel comics, has been previously used by internet users as a meme to refer to Indonesia when criticising the government so they can avoid being criminalised under the draconian Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
