WHEN floods hit Bogor and Bekasi in early March 2025, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi visited Cisarua, Puncak. Witnessing the forest demolished to make way for a tourist trap, he cried. The scene went viral. Social media users praised him. A friend asked, does this type of political communication still work on people?

We understand how this question may arise. At the end of Joko Widodo’s term in 2024, amidst all the protests