Posts with tag: Featured Article
Prabowo Subianto is poised to succeed in lifelong quest to become Indonesia’s president. This is why it’s so worrying
2024 Indonesian Elections, PoliticsAs the former general Prabowo Subianto settles into office, a further gradual dismantling of democratic checks and balances, institutions and individual freedoms is very likely.
Cute grandpa or authoritarian in waiting: who is Prabowo Subianto, the favourite to win Indonesia’s presidential election?
2024 Indonesian ElectionsPrabowo Subianto has repeatedly said Indonesia’s democratic system is not working and the country should return to its original 1945 constitution, which could unravel many democratic reforms.
Struggling to put on the integrity jacket: anti-corruption commitments beyond 2024
2024 Indonesian Elections, CorruptionOn 17 January, a little less than a month before 204 million registered Indonesian voters will cast their votes for a new president and national parliament, over 3,000 YouTubers tuned in to watch 'The Integrity Pact’. So, what was the Integrity Pact and what can it tell us about the future of anti-corruption efforts in Indonesia?
K-pop and the presidential election: Anies Baswedan riding the Korean Bubble
2024 Indonesian Elections, Media, SocietySocial media has become the key battle ground as candidates try to curate and amplify their image with younger voters. Nowhere is this changing online campaign landscape more evident than presidential candidate Anies Baswedan’s recent foray into K-pop fandom through the X (Twitter) account Anies Bubble.
Campaign costs impeding women’s political representation in Indonesia
2024 Indonesian Elections, Gender, PoliticsThere are several factors frustrating women’s political representation including voter beliefs about women’s leadership, gendered processes of candidate selection in political parties and the low numbers of women holding senior positions in the civil service. However, the possibility of improving women’s political representation in the upcoming February 2024 elections will also depend on overcoming arguably the biggest impediment to their election: money.
Indonesia is one of the world’s largest democracies, but it’s weaponising defamation laws to smother dissent
Law, Natural ResourcesTwo former coordinators of one of Indonesia’s most prominent human rights organisations have escaped conviction in a defamation case brought by a powerful government minister. While their astonishing acquittal is welcome, the case marked a bleak new low for freedom of expression in one of the world’s largest democracies.
Best of 2023
Top StoriesThe new year has arrived and it will be a particularly important year for Indonesia as the country heads towards a general election on 14 February. To celebrate the year just past, we have pulled together this short list of the articles and podcasts you found most interesting in 2023.
Prabowo Subianto: Indonesia’s perennial strongman recast as the adorable grandpa
2024 Indonesian Elections, PoliticsPrabowo's political trajectory is a case study of resilience and reinvention. Throughout his long career he has faced accusations of war crimes, incompetence and even treason – and yet his detractors have never managed to end his political influence. This is due, in part, to Prabowo’s ability to repeatedly adapt his image. But as the 2024 election approaches, it is his most recent persona – that of an adorable grandpa for Indonesia’s Generation Z and millennial voters – that could be his most savvy.
Coldplay controversy: Islamic hardliners driving Indonesian cancel culture
Religion, SocietyReligious protesters and police clashed outside the Coldplay concert at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on 16 November. Attempts to cancel public figures are becoming a common occurrence in Indonesia. But what motivates these religious hardliners leading Indonesian cancel culture?