106 research outputs found
The moderating president: Yudhoyono's decade in power
No full textSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono presided over a critical period in Indonesia's modern history. During his decade in power, between 2004 and 2014, Indonesia's new democracy stabilised. Not only was Yudhoyono able to serve out his two full terms without experiencing any major political crisis or disruption to his government, but he also managed to implement democratic reforms initiated before he took office, such as popular elections of heads of provinces, cities and districts. Democratic elections were generally well run and the military kept out of day-to-day political affairs. The new Corruption Eradication Commission (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi, KPK) began to make inroads into the elite-level corruption that had bedevilled the country. While the 1998�2004 transition from the authoritarian rule of long-time president Suharto had been marked by significant ethnic, religious and other forms of violent conflict, the Yudhoyono years were far more peaceful, symbolised by the signing of the Aceh peace agreement in 2005. Indonesia maintained an impressive rate of economic growth averaging over 5 per cent, paid off the debts it had accrued to the International Monetary Fund during the 1997�98 economic crisis and succeeded in reducing the official poverty rate from 16.7 per cent in 2004 to 11.5 per cent in 2013. Moreover, it seemed to be playing a major role in world affairs, with the country gaining entry to the G20 club of major economies, and with the president touting Indonesia's international leadership role as a modern Muslim democracy. However, Yudhoyono's record of success was far from being unadulterated. As we shall show in this chapter and throughout this book, every time the president or his supporters pointed to an achievement, his critics were ready to identify a contradiction, failing or shortcoming. With regard to his democratic record, for example, some observers have characterised the Yudhoyono period as being marked by stagnation rather than progress (Tomsa 2010; Fealy 2011; Mietzner 2012; McRae 2013). In the economic field, Yudhoyono was widely criticised for being reluctant to push through major structural reforms (such as the full elimination of costly fuel subsidies) that would have freed funds for much-needed investments in infrastructure, education and other fields
Politics in Contemporary Indonesia Institutional Change, Policy Challenges and Democratic Decline
No full textIn Politics in Contemporary Indonesia, Ken M.P. Setiawan and Dirk Tomsa analyse the most prominent political ideas, institutions, interests and issues that shape Indonesian politics today. Guided by the overarching question whether Indonesia still deserves its famous label as a ‘model Muslim democracy’, the book argues that the most serious threats to Indonesian democracy emanate from the fading appeal of democracy as a compelling narrative, the increasingly brazen capture of democratic institutions by predatory interests, and the narrowing public space for those who seek to defend the values of democracy. </p
Politics in Contemporary Indonesia: Institutional Change, Policy Challenges and Democratic Decline
No full textIn Politics in Contemporary Indonesia, Ken M.P. Setiawan and Dirk Tomsa analyse the most prominent political ideas, institutions, interests and issues that shape Indonesian politics today. Guided by the overarching question whether Indonesia still deserves its famous label as a ‘model Muslim democracy', this book argues that the most serious threats to Indonesian democracy emanate from the fading appeal of democracy as a compelling narrative, the increasingly brazen capture of democratic institutions by predatory interests and the narrowing public space for those who seek to defend the values of democracy. In so doing, the book answers the following key questions: What are the dominant political narratives that underpin Indonesian politics? How has Indonesia's institutional framework evolved since the onset of democratisation in 1998? How do competing political interests weaken or strengthen Indonesian democracy? How does declining democracy affect Indonesia's prospects for dealing with its main policy challenges? How does Indonesia compare to other Muslim-majority states and to its regional neighbours? What are the dominant political narratives that underpin Indonesian politics? How has Indonesia's institutional framework evolved since the onset of democratisation in 1998? How do competing political interests weaken or strengthen Indonesian democracy? How does declining democracy affect Indonesia's prospects for dealing with its main policy challenges? How does Indonesia compare to other Muslim-majority states and to its regional neighbours? Up-to-date, comprehensive and written in an accessible style, this book will be of interest to both students and scholars of Indonesian politics, Asian Studies, Comparative Politics and International Relations
The Defeat of Centralized Paternalism: Factionalism, Assertive Regional Cadres, and the Long Fall of Golkar Chairman Akbar Tandjung
Get PDFPage range: 1-22This article recaps the events that led to the ouster of Akbar Tandjung from the chairmanship of the Indonesian Golkar Party in December 2004. The author argues that the key to understanding the political demise of one of Indonesia’s most experienced politicians lies in Akbar’s apparent failure to comprehend fully the changing dynamics of electoral politics in Indonesia and to respond properly to the growing assertiveness of lower-ranking regional cadres from his own party
Book Review: Donald L. Horowitz: Constitutional Change and Democracy in Indonesia
No full textBook Review of the Monograph: Horowitz, Donald L. (2013), Constitutional Change and Democracy in Indonesia ; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (= Series: Problems of International Politics, 4), ISBN: 9781107641150, 342 page
Bajky: Nemecky Vypravuje (Cover: Fabeln)
No full textHere is one of the more fascinating fable books to come into my hands. First, it must be something of a miracle that this small (4¾" x 5¾") pamphlet has survived. Secondly, it is a curious book in that it advertises itself with a German title outside but a Czech title inside. I presume it was meant as a text for learning German in Czechoslovakia. What would it have been like to be publishing German books in Czechoslovakia in 1932? I have had to work with online translation services to piece some of its information together. There is a famous Czech Jaroslov Tomsa, but he was born two years before this book was published. There is a small flyleaf at the beginning and end of the book. The flyleaf at the end gives an address of the author. How strange! Inside there are eighteen German-language fables and an epilogue apparently about various fabulists. The fables chosen, all in prose, seem to stem from German authors. I can recognize immediately some of the fables, like the opening "Die Beiden Ziegen." Others are new to me, like "Die Spatzen" (7). Father sparrow tells his little sparrows to fly away promptly when they see a boy reach down to the ground to pick up a stone. "But, Father, what if the boy already filled his pocket with stones?" There is an excellent initial for each fable and a black-and-white illustration of an elephant just before the first fable. That elephant is repeated on the front cover. There is also a T of C at the end.Here is one of the more fascinating fable books to come into my hands. First, it must be something of a miracle that this small (4¾" x 5¾") pamphlet has survived. Secondly, it is a curious book in that it advertises itself with a German title outside but a Czech title inside. I presume it was meant as a text for learning German in Czechoslovakia. What would it have been like to be publishing German books in Czechoslovakia in 1932? I have had to work with online translation services to piece some of its information together. There is a famous Czech Jaroslov Tomsa, but he was born two years before this book was published. There is a small flyleaf at the beginning and end of the book. The flyleaf at the end gives an address of the author. How strange! Inside there are eighteen German-language fables and an epilogue apparently about various fabulists. The fables chosen, all in prose, seem to stem from German authors. I can recognize immediately some of the fables, like the opening "Die Beiden Ziegen." Others are new to me, like "Die Spatzen" (7). Father sparrow tells his little sparrows to fly away promptly when they see a boy reach down to the ground to pick up a stone. "But, Father, what if the boy already filled his pocket with stones?" There is an excellent initial for each fable and a black-and-white illustration of an elephant just before the first fable. That elephant is repeated on the front cover. There is also a T of C at the end.Language note: Czech with German fablesLanguage note: Czech with German fablesSecond editionSecond editionJaronslav TomsaJaronslav Toms
Talking Indonesia podcast : Volunteers and Indonesian elections
No full textTalking Indonesia: Volunteers and Indonesian elections by Dirk Tomsa The last five years have seen the emergence of volunteer organisations as new actors in the campaigns of some of Indonesia’s most important elections. Who are these volunteers, what motivates them and what role do they play in elections? Have volunteer organisations changed the role of political parties, or opened new access for the citizens mobilising as part of them? How will they influence the 2019 presidential elections?..
Talking Indonesia podcast : Volunteers and Indonesian elections
No full textTalking Indonesia: Volunteers and Indonesian elections by Dirk Tomsa The last five years have seen the emergence of volunteer organisations as new actors in the campaigns of some of Indonesia’s most important elections. Who are these volunteers, what motivates them and what role do they play in elections? Have volunteer organisations changed the role of political parties, or opened new access for the citizens mobilising as part of them? How will they influence the 2019 presidential elections?..
Uneven party institutionalization in Indonesia : explaining the enduring strength of Golkar in the post Suharto era
No full textTypescriptThesis (PhD)-- University of Melbourne, Faculty of Arts, 2007Includes bibliographical references (leaves 269-302
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