One rainy day in January 2017, a small but determined group gathered outside the parliament building of Pontianak city, Indonesia for a protest. Printed across a large banner was the group’s name: GEMA TOPAN, which (translated from Indonesian) stands for “Community Movement to Reject Ghost Statue.” Along the bottom was the hashtag #tolakpatongantu, meaning “Reject Ghost Statue.” It was an unusual cause for a demonstration, but these were unusual circumstances. Not long before, word had circulated around social media and mainstream local news that a government official was proposing to…
