October 2017 marked three years since President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo came to power. Jokowi won support in 2014 with lofty promises of infrastructure building, better governance, improved welfare, and economic growth, among others. But his presidency has not been all smooth sailing, with controversies such as the unpopular decision to cut the fuel subsidy early in his term, and the recent rise of Islamic populism occurring under his watch.

 

As Indonesia gears up for important regional and national elections in 2018 and 2019, the time is right to assess Jokowi’s leadership. Has he lived up to expectations and his campaign promises? How does the Indonesian public view his presidency? What issues matter to them when determining who to vote for in the next presidential election?

 

I discuss these issues with Dr Djayadi Hanan, lecturer in political science at Paramadina University in Jakarta and executive director of Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC), a leading political research and polling institute. Dr Hanan holds a PhD in Political Science from Ohio State University.

 

In 2017, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Charlotte Setijadi from the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, and Dr Dirk Tomsa from La Trobe University.

 

Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight. Catch up on previous episodes here, subscribe via iTunes or listen via your favourite podcasting app.

 


Photo by Flickr user uyeah.

 

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