| Abstrak/Abstract |
The year 2019 was publicly labelled an election year in Indonesia, as mammoth elections were conducted, accompanied by a media and social media frenzy that absorbed the attention of the country’s citizens. The year was also a milestone from which to look back on and reflect upon the first term of President Joko Widodo (popularly known as Jokowi), as well as to look forward to his second five-year term. In April 2019 more than 140 million citizens went to the ballot box to elect their president and vice-president, 575 members of the House of Representatives, 2,000 provincial representatives for 33 provinces, and 17,610 district and city representatives in more than 500 city and district councils. This chapter discusses Indonesian politics in 2019. It addresses the elections, Indonesia’s economic and foreign policies, and the security issues the country faced. Each of these topics will be explored in the sections that follow. Since it was an election year, the chapter will give particular focus to what happened in 2019, evaluate Jokowi’s policies between 2014 and 2019, and his plans for his second tenure. I will also explore two significant emerging political trends: the rise of conservative Islam in politics and the apparent democratic “decline”. The economic section will highlight Jokowi’s focus on economic growth and infrastructure projects, while highlighting the resulting inequality and impact on human rights. The next section will look at the continued focus on economic diplomacy in 2019 and in the coming years. And the conclusion will offer some thoughts and reflections on Indonesia’s future trajectory. |
