Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2019. vii, 261 pp. US$29.95, paper. ISBN 978-1-62637-852-0.
More than two decades after the end of the authoritarian era in 1998, what has actually changed in Indonesia’s transitional trajectory into a fully consolidated democracy? The perennial issue of how its journey has been hobbled by the grip of the old nexus of political and business elites has sparked lively debates in academia. To date, Indonesianists have differed sharply in their views on Indonesia’s achievements after more than twenty years of reform. Some experts have highlighted the dark face of a reform hijacked by the old nefarious political forces, while others provide a more optimistic picture of the achievements since the Reformasi era. It is against this backdrop that Jemma Purdey, Antje Missbach, and Dave McRae provide us with analyses that are much more comprehensive and nuanced on the trajectory of Indonesian democracy.
The authors start with a thought-provoking question: Can Indonesia be considered an underrated country, given that it only has a modest international profile even though it has a large geographical size and population, coupled with its rich historical and economic influence (1)? The narrative picture that emerges through the course of the book suggests that the authors believe this might be the case, since Indonesia has much to offer the region and wider world and has been punching below its weight. Indonesia’s failure to reach its full potential is attributed to various salient characteristics of its domestic affairs, particularly since the fall of Suharto.
With the aim of “bringing together in one volume aspects of Indonesia’s history, politics, international affairs, economics, and society to provide an overall picture of this complex nation” (vii), the book is organized into nine chapters. In chapters 2 and 3, the authors present a rather brief background summary on the history of pre-independence Indonesia and the making of the authoritarian Suharto regime. The subsequent chapters discuss a central question of this study, explaining why Indonesia has received less global attention, and the extent to which domestic factors have contributed to such conditions. Chapter 4 concerns “the political reforms after 1998.” While praising the reforms initiated by Habibie’s transitional government, especially with regard to elections and a party system, decentralization, and civil-military relations, the authors lament the enduring deleterious influence of old actors who dominate Indonesian politics due to a weak and fragmented civil society.
In chapter 5, the authors contend that the political reforms have failed to eradicate authoritarian legacies, especially with regard to patronage, corruption, and political dynasties. The chapter also discusses one of Indonesia’s key post-reform institutions, namely political parties. The authors argue that although political parties have played a very strategic role since the fall of Suharto in 1998, they fail to perform the functions considered essential to political parties in a democratic polity.
After a lengthy discussion about politics, the book’s narrative slowly shifts in chapter 6 to issues of social and economic inequalities. The authors comprehensively explore a wide range of issues including demography, health, education, employment, and poverty that are generally believed to be the drivers of inequality in Indonesia. They argue that such persistent inequalities overshadow Indonesia’s transition from authoritarian regime to democracy.
Another impediment to Indonesia’s transition towards a mature democracy is the contentious issue of human rights. In chapter 7, the authors specifically mention the reluctance of post-reform governments to deal with past human rights violations, especially with regard to the killings of 1965–1966. The issue regarding the limitations of the state approach in the cases of Aceh, Papua, and East Timor is also discussed broadly in this chapter. They link the discussion on human rights to more contemporary issues such as discrimination and violence against women, LGBTQ communities, and religious minorities. All of this suggests that despite the early optimism about path-breaking reforms, the authors believe that the failed attempts to deal with past abuses have contributed to Indonesia’s sluggish transition.
Following this theme, chapter 8 discusses the contemporary issues of the media and pop culture in Indonesia. Having admitted that the mass media landscape is now freer than during the New Order era, the authors at the same time remind us that the media industry has been almost fully controlled by a handful of oligarchs with political interests. Fortunately, people have their own ways of avoiding the domination of the oligarchic-controlled media by utilizing social media “in order to access alternative news reports and to produce their own news content” (168).
In the last chapter, the authors present Indonesia’s foreign policies and its position in the context of global affairs. After a lengthy and comprehensive analysis of Indonesia’s journey toward the status of a mature democracy, the authors return to their initial question of whether the country is still underrated and plays only a modest role in global affairs. On this central question, they appear to conclude that Indonesia has yet to play an international role “commensurate with its vast territory, strategic position, and large population” (222).
This book covers a wide range of topics, explaining the complexities of Indonesia through the lens of historical and contemporary issues. At times, the authors seem to struggle to ensure readers do not lose the progressing flow of the book’s argument. Moreover, this book also lacks a concluding chapter, making it difficult for readers to summarize the contents of the book and make connections between historical aspects, and the present and future challenges of Indonesia’s democratic trajectory. However, in general, the authors succeed in explaining that one of the reasons why Indonesia is still underrated globally is due to unfinished domestic issues rooted in the process of a less-than-perfect transition to democracy. Although critical of highlighting Indonesia’s development thus far, this book does not fall into a tired cynical analysis but presents a balanced interpretation. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Indonesian politics and society today.
Burhanuddin Muhtadi
Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta