Anti-Foreign Nationalism in Indonesian Elections and Policy

• In Event: 96. Divisive Politics of Southeast Asia

Abstract

This paper examines the use of anti-foreign nationalism in Indonesian elections, and assesses the extent to which it influences subsequent policies. Indonesia’s 2014 presidential election pitted former General Prabowo Subianto against Joko Widodo, a former furniture manufacturer and
Mayor of Jakarta. Prabowo ran on a nativist populist campaign and attempted to mobilize votes by appealing to exclusionary forms of ethno-religious nationalism, tainting his opponent as a Christian and accusing the government of permitting foreigners to exploit the country’s resources. This paper will analyze the Indonesian case in light of the literature on democracy and democratic transitions because Indonesia poses a paradox. That literature contends that elections in countries in the process of transition are often characterized by appeals to ethnicity, religion, exclusionary nationalism and anti-foreign sentiment as elites in seek to mobilize votes according to identity politics. Once countries become consolidated democracies, there is an expectation that these factors will decline in importance as politicians appeal to voters on the basis of public policies. This paper examines why these appeals remain so potent in Indonesia and assess the extent to which they influence subsequent policy in the resource sector and foreign policy.

Author

• Ann Marie Murphy, Seton Hall University