Lacan and masochists society: Indonesia’s addiction to suffering

Cato the younger, food for thought.

Indonesian 2024 election seemed to have come to an end, with a one-round victory for Ex- general Prabowo Subianto and Gibran, the bastard of constitution.

During the election, Indonesians were served with 2 other pairs who are highly capable, head-to-head with this pair alone. Anies Baswedan, the ex-governor of Jakarta paired with Muhaimin Iskandar, the leader of PKB. And on the other side, Ganjar Pranowo ex-governor of Central java and Professor Mahfud MD, the ex-minister of Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs.

The official results of the Indonesian 2024 election are yet to be announced, but a prevailing sense of pessimism has already set in among the critical populace. Concerns about structural electoral fraud and alleged interventions by the current president have contributed to this growing pessimism.

The majority of votes going to the Prabowo-Gibran pair (irrespective of the legitimacy of these numbers) indicates a lack of appeal for Anies-Imin and Ganjar-Mahfud in Indonesia.

I am left wondering why — they excel in debates, present promising programs, and actively engage in political discourse. What more do Indonesians want?

This contemplation leads me to the past. Five and ten years ago, a determined and vigorous Prabowo aspired for power, embodying the qualities Indonesia supposedly needed, and yet Jokowi emerged victorious.

Now, five years later, Prabowo, having aged significantly, no longer exudes the same qualities.

He is now empty. Banal.

And then there’s a sudden resurgence of interest in Prabowo?

Is this truly the influence of the ‘Jokowi magnet’?

Or are Indonesians subconsciously just looking for the worst candidate because they love to suffer?

In this article, I will be referencing ‘Masochism in Political Behavior: A Lacanian Perspective’ by Filip Kovacevic, published in the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies in 2011.

Kovacevic argued, “masochism in political behavior is defined as any political behavior in which the protagonists willingly pursue self-directed pain and…