Young People Could Have a Tremendous Impact on Indonesia’s Elections. So What Do They Think? · Global Voices
Seelan Palay

Letter to the President: A young man writes a letter to the Indonesian president.
Over one-third of the more than 186 million eligible voters in Indonesia's landmark presidential election will be casting a ballot for the first time in their lives on 9 June, and this new generation of voters could affect the outcome in an important way.
Some are too young to remember the brutal New Order regime, presided over by the authoritarian Suharto who ruled Indonesia for 32 years until he stepped down in 1998. Nevertheless, leaders from the period are trying to make a comeback this time around, the country's third direct presidential election in its history.
It comes as no surprise then that both presidential candidates have been running creative online campaigns in an effort to woo young voters. The emphasis on Facebook on Twitter in this election has led to it being dubbed the “social media elections”, and has shown Indonesian youth to be polarized in their choices.
With this in mind, EngageMedia launched Suara Baru (New Voices), which invited young filmmakers, activists, citizen journalists to create video stories in order to understand youth perspectives on the elections, its candidates, and ultimately their hopes and aspirations for the country.
The videos, which offer subtitles in English, are being presented on online and offline channels to empower youth and encourage discussion about issues and programs raised during the election. Click on the screengrabs to watch on EngageMedia's site.
The Hopes of Papuan Youth: Young people in Raja Ampat, West Papua, want the next Indonesian president to deliver progress.
View from the Edge: A candid video exploring why some young Indonesians are not voting in the 2014 presidential elections.
Elections and Conflict: Why do the Indonesian presidential elections turn youth who were friends into enemies?