The Jokowi Presidency

The rise of Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to the presidency in 2014 marked an optimistic turn in Indonesia. At a time when politics were dominated by oligarchs, New Order–era holdovers and corrupt politicians, Jokowi’s populist style and humble origins embodied the change that many Indonesians desired. He promised the public a cleaner style of government and fast-paced development, and his progressive allies believed he would protect Indonesia’s young democratic institutions. Yet when Jokowi stepped down from office a decade later, he left behind a fragile economy and a hollow democracy.

This volume examines Jokowi’s political evolution and the mark he left on Indonesia. It casts Jokowi’s decade in office as one of authoritarian revival that saw the return of statist developmentalism in the economic sphere, and the resurrection of New Order–era tactics of co-optation and repression in the political sphere. The volume brings together experts from a wide range of fields, including foreign policy, security, economics, politics, law and human rights. In different ways, all contributors view Jokowi as a disruptive president, whose ambitious developmental agenda came at a high cost for Indonesia’s democracy.