Indonesia Update: How Jokowi changed Indonesia

How Jokowi changed Indonesia
During a decade of governing Indonesia, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has emerged as one of the most popular, but also most polarising, political figures in the post-Reformasi period. Jokowi’s supporters have lauded his remarkable evolution from an outsider with little clout among the country’s political elite to a formidable powerbroker, pushing through hard-hitting and often controversial reforms. Jokowi’s critics, on the other hand, have assailed his government’s coercive approach to political opponents, and his pursuit of a grand economic vision at the cost of democratic freedoms and institutional integrity. Regardless of which side of the debate one is on, however, there is no denying Jokowi’s enduring popularity with a public that sees their president as a hardworking man of the people.

The 2024 Indonesia Update Conference will take a broad view of Jokowi’s legacy. To tell this story, we need to first recall the Indonesia that President Yudhoyono left behind: a stable democracy and economy, but one in which governance was characterised by policy inertia and stagnation. The Jokowi years, on the other hand, have been anything but stagnant. Instead, to hit policy targets across a range of sectors, the president and his team have pushed institutions to their limits, revealing both the weaknesses and strengths of Indonesia’s democratic rules, regulations and norms. But how far has Jokowi truly transformed Indonesia? To answer this question, the Conference will bring together experts from Australia, Indonesia, and around the world. We will examine the mark that Jokowi has left on the country’s economy, welfare, politics, security, environment, and international relations.

About the Indonesia Update conference

The Indonesia Update is largest annual conference on Indonesian society outside of Indonesia and dates back to 1983. Held in September, it is organised by The Australian National University’s Indonesia Project, with support from ANU Department of Political and Social Change, as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The ANU Indonesia Project wishes to thank The Australian National University and the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for their substantial and continuing support.

Convenors

Sana Jaffrey (The Australian National University) Eve Warburton (The Australian National University)

Covid Protocol

To help keep everyone safe, please ensure that you are familiar with, and follow, the advice from ACT Health regarding COVID-19.

If you do not feel well, please refrain from attending this event.