Democracy in Indonesia: from stagnation to regression

Editors: Thomas Power, Eve Warburton. Published by the ISEAS Yusof-Ishak Institute in 2020.

Indonesia has long been hailed as a rare case of democratic transition and persistence in an era of global democratic setbacks. But as the country enters its third decade of democracy, such laudatory assessments have become increasingly untenable. The stagnation that characterized Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s second presidential term has given way to a more far-reaching pattern of democratic regression under his successor, Joko Widodo.

This volume is the first comprehensive study of Indonesia’s contemporary democratic decline. Its contributors identify, explain and debate the signs of regression, including arbitrary state crackdowns on freedom of speech and organization, the rise of vigilantism, deepening political polarization, populist mobilization, the dysfunction of key democratic institutions, and the erosion of checks and balances on executive power. They ask why Indonesia, until recently considered a beacon of democratic exceptionalism, increasingly conforms to the global pattern of democracy in retreat.

2020 Online Book Launch

25 September

Emeritus Professor Emil Salim from Universitas Indonesia launched the book online on 25 September 2020. The well attended launch was held over two days. Professor Allen Hicken from the University of Michigan delivered the keynote remarks. An excerpt of Professor Emil Salim's speech was published by The Jakarta Post.