Indonesia is currently in the demographic dividend phase, where the working-age population dominates the demographic structure. Ideally, this momentum should serve as a gateway for the emergence of new faces in national leadership. However, reality on the ground shows the opposite phenomenon; the political stage is still dominated by old elites who repeatedly occupy strategic positions.
Professor of Constitutional Law at UGM, Zainal Arifin Mochtar, considers Indonesia to be trapped in a system of "gerontocracy." According to him, current electoral rules tend to perpetuate the dominance of senior groups and narrow the competitive space for the younger generation to emerge as potential candidates.
Echoing this sentiment, Netgrit Senior Researcher, Hadar Nafis Gumay, emphasized that the main obstacle no longer lies in age requirements, but rather in an unhealthy political ecosystem. The nomination process within political parties is considered to rely far too heavily on personal closeness, nepotism, and lineage. As a result, meritocratic indicators such as capacity and track record are often overlooked.
In addition to cadre recruitment issues, high political costs represent a major wall that is difficult to breach for young people starting their careers. The lack of adequate financial support from political parties leaves young cadres unable to compete with senior politicians who are financially and relationally established.
Hadar added that young people's negative perception of politics is further exacerbated by rampant corruption and money politics involving certain officials. This ultimately creates apathy among the younger generation, who view politics as a space that is no longer attractive for championing values of competence.
To break this deadlock, concrete steps are needed, such as affirmative action policies requiring political parties to reserve a quota of seats for young candidates. Financial support for potential cadres is also considered crucial so that leadership regeneration is not merely rhetoric, but truly realized for the future of Indonesian democracy.
