Thinking Democratically: A Comprehensive Approach to Countering and Preventing Shrinking Space

6.3 Indonesia
Many have praised Indonesia for the progress made in its first decade of democratic development
after the 1998 reforms. But since the 2014 Presidential Election it has become increasingly clear that
Indonesia’s democratic institutions have inherited corrupt and authoritarian actors and practices
from the old, highly centralised state apparatus, including widespread corruption and a party system
driven by private economic interests. The key role of money in politics has led to the
commercialisation of political parties, who now act and function largely like corporations.
Against this backdrop, political parties in Indonesia eventually became a major factor behind the
shrinking democratic space in the country, by creating an uneven political playing field between
small and big political parties, young and old politicians, and between men and women. They have
done so by tightening the requirements for party registration, increasing the electoral threshold, and
at the same time passing regulations that make illicit party finance more difficult to detect. In
addition, laws such as the state secrecy bill and the bill to end direct local elections have also
restricted space for political contestation, thereby limiting avenues for democratic participation and
accountability.
Indonesia stands out in the region for its vibrant civil society and diverse and critical press landscape.
While major gains have indeed been made in terms of fundamental freedoms in Indonesia, civic space
has also come under attack from the government through political, administrative and legislative
strategies in recent years. Some of these strategies include the criminalization, intimidation and
stigmatisation of civil society activists through laws, propaganda and intimidation, as well as
complicated regulations for CSOs operations such as registration, licensing, reporting and accounting
obligations. Press freedom has also been restricted through licensing rules, censorship and selfcensorship
through laws on blasphemous content. While the constitution guarantees civic and
political rights for all, in practice minority groups such as religious minorities, atheists, LGBT groups
and supporters of Papuan independence do not enjoy these freedoms.
Overall, the primary strategy to restrict democratic space has been the creation of an unlevel playing
field, followed by a secondary strategy of attacks on civic space. While impunity reigns regarding
human rights violations in East Timor and the killing of HRDs, the rule of law and separation of powers
have not been under attack by the government. Finally, the dwindling donor funds and shifting
priorities of Western donors have not helped in the efforts of civil society to hold political parties
and the ruling party to account.
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