The people of Indonesia & their culture, politics, economy and environment - Inside Indonesia: The peoples and cultures of Indonesia

Elections

Dancing into the elections

The replacement of dangdut with TikTok dances in the 2024 elections heralds a massive demographic shift in Indonesian political campaigning and beyond

The Labour Party (Partai Buruh) was revived in the wake of opposition to the Omnibus Law on Job Creation, but failure in the 2024 election shows they failed to connect with the workers they aim to represent

Election campaigns and cyber troops

The election campaigns of both Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto relied on social media propaganda to shape public perceptions

Electoral (in)equity

More female candidates won’t mean more women in parliament

Another fork in the road for democracy?

The gap between Jokowi and Prabowo has narrowed, but the election outcome will still matter for the prospects of Indonesian democracy

The pre-election edition

Are #DildoforIndonesia a pair of sexist pricks?

Satirical candidates that once seemed refreshing have slipped into tired obscenity

Gaining the grassroots vote

The urban poor and workers unions are looking to local government to improve their lot

Blasphemy on the rise

As blasphemy convictions increase in this democratic era, election campaigning indicates little will change

Sectarianism, culture and politics

An emerging conservative Muslim coalition is a force to be reckoned with in Indonesian politics

Labour takes a citizenship approach

A woman tips a coin tin over another woman's open palm.

Despite the impressive activism of Pekalongan’s labour union, its political clout remains limited

Haze of democracy

Schools were closed for over a month due to the forest fires - Ardiles Rante/Greenpeace

Elections are fuelling the forest fires in Central Kalimantan

Battle of the bands

Julia Perez in Democrat Party campaign - http://www.jpnn.com

The influence of music videos in the 2014 electoral campaign

Politics from below

Picture of Prabowo on a car - Vembri Waluyas

Street vendors have organised successfully at the local level, but effective national organisation has proved more elusive

The paradox of virtual youth politics

A user-generated computer game developed by Jokowi’s team asks supporters to join Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla on impromptu visits - Generasi Optimis

Social media promotes political engagement among youth, but at the expense of accurate information and real-world political effects

Balancing business

Indonesia’s unions are engaging in electoral politics in unprecedented ways in an attempt to balance the influence of business

The business of politics in Indonesia

Warburton 1 Prabowo and Team at Senayan Rally Credit Liam Gammon

Democratic institutions are increasingly burdened by the illicit transactions and collusive practices of politico-business elites

A development policy agenda for a new administration

Indonesia's economic and political transformation has been remarkable, now the challenge is to deliver rapid, broad-based improvements in living standards

Mixed messages

Election campaigning in highland Papua breaks all the stereotypes

Creative campaigners

While material inducements to voters have been prevalent in 2014, candidates also employ innovative campaign strategies to attract support

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Lontar Modern Indonesia

A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar.