Indonesia is a nation on the rise. Already the fourth-largest country by population, it was identified by Foreign Policy last year as one of six swing states that will decide the future of global politics, and its economy is projected to become the world’s sixth-largest by 2027. Long derided as punching below its weight on … Read more
Magazine As Prabowo’s remarkable rise from disgraced exile to likely next president attests, in Indonesia things once thought buried can yet rise again. “This is the most pressure Indonesian democracy has been under since the end of Suharto,” said Andreas Harsono, a researcher at Human Rights Watch in Indonesia. The world’s third-largest democracy, he believes, … Read more
Indonesians hold on to the belief that elections are a pesta demokrasi – a celebration of democracy – which dates back to the military regime, before the 1998 political reform. Yes, a celebration is exciting, but that’s where the energy ends. You may be invited to a wedding party, but it’s their marriage, not yours. … Read more