The book offers a detailed exploration of the Indonesian military's challenges in adjusting to a democratic framework following Suharto's authoritarian rule, which ended in 1998. Drawing from ten years of research, it examines the complexities of this transition, highlighting the military's evolving role and the broader implications for Indonesia's democracy.
The electoral contest between Prabowo Subianto and Joko Widodo during Indonesia's 2014 presidential elections highlights contrasting approaches to populism. Prabowo leveraged traditional populist tactics, emphasizing anti-foreign sentiments and appealing to the impoverished, while Jokowi introduced a technocratic populism focused on inclusivity and public service. This study examines the conditions for the success or failure of populist campaigns, revealing that Prabowo's defeat stemmed from Indonesia's stable democracy, and explores Jokowi's challenges in asserting his populist governance amidst elite opposition.
Presidential Power and Its Limits in Democratic Indonesia
The transformation of Indonesia's presidential system from instability to solidity is explored, highlighting the role of constitutional changes. These alterations encouraged the establishment of coalitional presidentialism, which effectively unites diverse political forces, reinforcing the status quo and contributing to the system's stability.
In 2016, Freedom House recorded the eleventh consecutive year of declining democratic freedoms, adding material to the growing political science literature on a global democratic recession. This Element explains the failure of democratization efforts in Southeast Asia, and why have autocracies proved so resistant to democratic opening?