Indonesian Politics in 2020: COVID, Repressive Pluralism And Dynasticism

Recorded on 22 October 2020

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is now a year into his second term, during which he had hoped to dramatically improve upon the achievements of his first term and cement his legacy as a transformative president, particularly economically. But the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a blow to his chances of success, and the longer the crisis, the harder it will be to revive the economy. Australian National University’s Greg Fealy explores how Jokowi is confronting these steep challenges, and how he has abandoned much of his earlier political and social reform agenda, and instead doubled down on economic recovery and development.

Jokowi, key elements of his support base, and key state agencies have become increasingly intolerant of dissent, with prominent critics being subjected to cyber-attacks and the threat of prosecution. The military has increasingly been mobilized to ‘discipline’ the public to obey COVID protocols and lead new initiatives in food production and energy generation. Moreover, the government has intensified its campaign against Islamist groups, which it sees as posing an existential threat to Indonesia’s pluralist traditions. It has introduced discriminatory measures against Islamists in the public service and the largest party in the ruling coalition introduced a new bill into parliament which sought to use the state ideology of Pancasila to oppose religious ‘extremism’. These policies have led to Indonesia’s further democratic regression. One unexpected development in the past year has been Jokowi’s support for his son’s and his son-in-law’s nominations for mayoral elections in Surakarta and Medan, leading to accusations of dynasticism.

This webinar was moderated by Margaret Scott, NYSEAN co-founder and Adjunct Assistant Professor at NYU Wagner. About the Speaker: Greg Fealy, Associate Professor Department of Political and Social Change at Australian National University, is a scholar of Indonesian politics and history, who specializes in Islam. He has written extensively on the politics and culture of major Islamic parties and organizations such as Nahdlatul Ulama, PKS and Hizbut Tahrir, as well as jihadist groups. His most recent co-edited book is Contentious Belonging: The place of Minorities in Indonesia.

This event is co-sponsored by NYSEAN and NYU Wagner.

Watch below or click to download the audio.