| ID | 159536 |
| Title Proper | Fighting Illiberalism with Illiberalism |
| Other Title Information | Islamist Populism and Democratic Deconsolidation in Indonesia |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Mietzner, Marcus ; Marcus Mietzner |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The global rise of populist campaigns against democratic governments has revived the long-standing scholarly debate on how democracies can best defend themselves against anti-democratic challenges. While some view an aggressive militant democracy approach as the most effective option, others propose accommodation of populist actors and voters. Others again suggest a merging of the two paradigms. This article analyzes how the government of Indonesian President Jokowi has responded to the unprecedented Islamist-populist mobilization in the capital Jakarta in late 2016. Unsystematically mixing elements of all available options, Jokowi’s administration pursued a criminalization strategy against populists that violated established legal norms, and launched vaguely targeted but patronage-oriented accommodation policies. As a result, the government’s attempt to protect the democratic status quo from populist attacks turned into a threat to democracy itself. Indonesian democracy, I argue, is now in a slow but perceptible process of deconsolidation. |
| `In' analytical Note | Pacific Affairs Vol. 91, No.2; Jun 2018: p.261-282 |
| Journal Source | Pacific Affairs Vol: 91 No 2 |
| Key Words | Democracy ; Indonesia ; Islamism ; Religious Intolerance ; Populis |