ARTICLES

7 Mar 2019

Nahdlatul Ulama and the Framing of an Ideological Battle in the 2019 Indonesian Elections

Ahmad Najib Burhani

Indonesia's 2019 presidential elections have turned into a proxy battle between two different ideological leanings. Anti-caliphate and moderate Islamist groups backing Joko Widodo have arrayed themselves against pro-caliphate groups backing Prabowo.

21 Dec 2018

Ma’ruf Amin: A Shield from Identity Politics, but not a Vote-getter?

Ahmad Najib Burhani

Ma'ruf Amin, Joko Wido's choice of running mate for the presidential election in April next year, was chosen mainly to “shield” the Presdient from the attacks utilising the politics of identity and religion. However, Jokowi's camp needs to lower their expectations for Ma'ruf Amin as a vote-getter as he lacks appeal among young voters.

Identity Politics Indonesia

19 Jan 2017

Beyond Jakarta: Indonesian Regions Resisting Muslim Hardliners

Deasy Simandjuntak

The rising trend of religious intolerance and hard-line ideologies, is being challenged across Indonesia. The central government must take the lead in dealing with such attitudes so that local authorities can follow suit.

Indonesia Pancasila Religious Intolerance

12 Jan 2017

“Islamization of Politics” in Indonesia and Malaysia?

Leo Suryadinata

Recent political developments in Indonesia and Malaysia have seen the use of Islam in determining the political processes – Islam was employed to weaken the ruling elite, or to maintain political power and to support a forthcoming election. Such tactics may inadvertently destroy the pluralistic nature of both societies.

Indonesia Malaysia radicalism Religious Intolerance

10 May 2016

Duterte, Jokowi and ASEAN

Malcolm Cook

The political ascensions of Jokowi and Duterte is a significant challenge to ASEAN unity and centrality. As political outsiders with minimal international experience, their foreign policies are nationalistic and unilateral - focusing more on supporting the administration's domestic infrastructure and nation-building agenda.

ASEAN ASEAN Unity Indonesia Philippine

25 Apr 2016

Cooperation Necessary to Eradicate the Haze

Lee Poh Onn

The forest fires in Indonesia is a multilateral and transboundary issue that requires the cooperation of ASEAN in developing and implementing measures to prevent environmental and economic costs to affected countries. Indonesia needs to mitigate and assuage fears of a repeat of the 2015 haze incident.

ASEAN Haze Indonesia

25 Apr 2016

Transboundary Haze Pollution in ASEAN is a Shared Responsibility at all Levels

Moe Thuzar

Indonesia's non-ratification on ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in 2014 has hindered the effectiveness of tackling the recurring haze problem. The decentralised governance structure and weak central coordination among its agencies make implementation at the ground level difficult.

ASEAN Haze Indonesia