Freedom of expression is under attack in Indonesia. Under President Joko Widodo, protests against the government have been routinely met with repression and intimidation. In 2019 alone, the space for public dissent has shrunk dramatically, as seen in the aftermath of the presidential election, during demonstrations in Papua and, most recently, during widespread student protests that occurred shortly after this podcast was recorded.
What explains these increasing restrictions on freedom of expression? How does the government justify them? And how do Indonesian human rights activists respond?
In today’s podcast, Dr Dirk Tomsa discusses these and other questions with Dr Ken Setiawan, a lecturer in Asian and Indonesian Studies at the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute.
In 2019, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Dirk Tomsa from La Trobe University, Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Jemma Purdey from Deakin University and the Australia-Indonesia Centre, and Dr Charlotte Setijadi from Singapore Management 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.
Image by Novrian Arbi for Antara.
