Dr Max Lane is Visiting Senior Fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
For 50 years he has written articles and books on Indonesian politics, history and culture. He has been a Second Secretary at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta; Principal Research Officer, Senate Committee of Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade; written hundreds of articles for newspapers and non-government organisations and am a published translator of Indonesian literary works, including works by Pramoedya Ananta Toer and Rendra.
He has been an academic at the University of Sydney, Victoria University (Melbourne), Murdoch University and the National University of Singapore and lectured at universities in Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States.
The show of support for presidential contender Anies Baswedan has again underscored the enduring dynamic in Indonesian politics: competition without opposition.
The popularity of a recent image lamenting the wearing of conservative dress, particularly headscarves, by girls in Indonesia’s state schools have highlighted philosophical tensions in society and politics, with no easy answers.
This Long Read explores the characteristics of Indonesia’s political culture that have resulted in a tendency to form broad coalitions that effectively suppress real political opposition.
The Indonesian government has argued that there is a strong case for increasing prices for fuel. Given that fuel prices are a politically sensitive issue, it remains to be seen whether the government will be about to ride out the storm.
While public opposition to Indonesia’s proposed revision to its Criminal Code has stalled its passage in parliament, the conservative political establishment looks set to have the upper hand unless the bill’s critics can turn the tide with louder protests.
