Indonesia
The Republic of Indonesia is a mid-performing democracy, a member of the G20 group of nations and the largest economy in Southeast Asia. The fourth most populous nation in the world and home to the largest population of Muslims globally, Indonesia has a service-based economy largely dependent on domestic consumption. The GSoD indices show significant improvements in Basic Welfare over the last ten years but significant declines in the last five years in Civil Liberties, Access to Justice, Freedom of Expression and Social Group Equality. The latter group of changes can be attributed to a revival of defamation and blasphemy laws, which critics say are too easily politicized.
Modern Indonesia encompasses an enormous diversity of ethnic and cultural groups on hundreds of islands and boasts both global megacities and uncontacted Papuan tribes. Over the course of the 20th century, Indonesians constructed a national identity through the conscious choice, primarily of youth, to promote the national language and a national motto of ‘Unity in Diversity.’ Following decades of struggle against a repressive Dutch colonial regime and Japanese occupation during World War II, the longtime nationalist leaders Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta became the first president and vice-president, respectively, of an independent Indonesia in 1945. After Hatta’s resignation in 1956, Soekarno’s rule became increasingly unstable, and in 1965 a mysterious failed coup was the impetus for the army general Soeharto to seize power, oversee mass killings and begin his 32-year ‘New Order’ authoritarian regime. Riots fueled by the Asian Financial Crisis compelled his resignation in 1998, ushering in the reformasi period and a cycle of democratization. The post-Soeharto years have been marked by negotiations for a more liberal political order, resulting in greater freedom of expression and opinion, moves toward a depoliticized military, and political decentralization. Party politics remain heavily fragmented and often depend on patronage and clientelist networks. The last ten years have seen active military and police officers creeping back into certain civil service positions.
Contemporary national political cleavages revolve around secular and religious divides, with political parties maintaining distinct views on state-Islam relations. The marginalization of Islamists under Soeharto prompted greater introduction of various interpretations of "Islamic values" into draft ordinances among Muslim politicians following his departure. Gender is caught up in these cleavages, as conceptions of private morality and women’s roles in society are negotiated using these frameworks. Corruption has been a high-profile political issue for decades, reflected in discourses on decentralization, the control of natural resources and weak accountability mechanisms, and other factors. In recent years, the weakening of the country’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), has been reflected in the Absence of Corruption attribute.
There are also broad socio-economic disparities between Indonesia’s extraordinarily ethnically, and linguistically diverse islands; almost half the population lives in rural areas where access to basic services and resources is poor, with ‘circular migration’ to urban areas for work. Separatist movements have played a sizable role in Indonesian history, including the secession of Timor Leste in 1999, the independence struggle in Aceh, which ended after the devastating tsunami in 2004 and ongoing unrest and armed groups aiming for independence in West Papua province.
In the next several years, it will be important to watch Civil Liberties. Issues of discrimination against religious minorities and the increased use of laws to curtail free speech may impact that attribute, as could the increasingly visible influence of more radical interpretations of Islam in politics. Continued political conflict over the management of natural resources and environmental sectors may be reflected in the Absence of Corruption subattribute or affect socio-political stability between the islands.
Monthly Event Reports
February 2024 | Indonesia holds general elections
Indonesia held general elections on 14 February 2024 for president, vice president, both houses of parliament and local and regional offices. The General Elections Commission (KPU) is due to release final results no later than 20 March, but quick counts showing he secured over 50 per cent of the vote allowed Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto to declare victory in the presidential race on the evening of 14 February. Prabowo’s vice president will be Mayor of Sumatra, Gibran Rakabuming, the son of outgoing President Joko Widodo. Indonesia’s gender quota requires that 30 per cent of candidates, and every third candidate on an electoral list, be a woman. This post will be updated as final vote tallies for races are available.
December 2023 | Defamation law watered down after criticism
The Indonesian parliament revised the Law of the Republic of Indonesia No. 11 of 2008 Concerning Electronic Information and Transactions (known as the electronic information and transaction law (ITE)) on 5 December to raise the necessary standard for defamation and halving the maximum penalty from four years imprisonment to two. Human rights activists and lawyers had criticized the broad application of the law since its passage in 2008 and argued that it was misused by politicians to stifle public criticism. However, critics said the changes did not go far enough and the standard for defamation under the law continued to be too low and therefore subject to abuse.
November 2023 | Chief Justice demoted after election ruling
Constitutional Court Chief Justice Anwar Usman was removed from his leadership post and will not be allowed to decide on election disputes, the court’s ethics council decided on 8 November. The council disciplined Anwar for failing to recuse himself from the 16 October decision that changed candidate minimum age provisions that allowed his nephew - and President Joko Widodo’s son - Gibran Rakabuming Raka to run as a vice presidential candidate in 2024 general elections. The remaining judges who joined that opinion were also reprimanded. Legal analysts generally praised the ethics council’s decision, with some arguing that Anwar should have been removed from the court entirely. The ethics council does not have authority to question the validity of the ruling itself, but several petitions challenging the exception granted to Gibran are due to be shortly before the court.
October 2023 | Court clears way for Jokowi’s son
A 5-4 majority on Indonesia’s Constitutional Court ruled on 16 October that candidates under 40 who had been elected to regional-level positions would be eligible to run for president or vice president, opening the path for President Joko Widodo’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to contest next year’s presidential election. There were previously no exceptions to the age limit. On 23 October, current defense minister and presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto named Gibran as his vice-presidential running mate. The decision raised concerns that Jokowi was attempting to retain political influence after leaving office next year ind building a family political dynasty. Supreme Court Chief Justice Anwar Usman is also Gibran’s uncle, with one of the dissenting judges stating that the decision “can be described as beyond the limits of fair reasoning.”
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