Reining in the Reign of the Parties

Political Parties in Contemporary Indonesia

Bibliographic Data

ID6233474
AuthorsPaige Johnson Tan (University of North Carolina Wilmington, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume20
Issue2
Pages154-179
Publication date2012-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAsian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0218-5377 • E-ISSN: 1750-7812
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02185377.2012.714132
OpenAlexW2015156663
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited13

This article analyzes party system institutionalization during Indonesia's transition to democracy since 1998. From 1999–2008, I assert, Indonesia has largely been under the reign of the parties. The parties were both strongly embedded in the legal framework of the new democratic system and weakly institutionalized, relying on charisma and platitudes instead of organizational depth, with party splits littering the landscape, thus creating a perfect storm of frustration on the part of many Indonesian people. Legal changes, court decisions, and the rise of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, however, have reined in the parties' power perceptibly. Though these changes may increase individual accountability on the part of politicians, they are likely also to weaken the parties' institutionalization as the emphasis goes from parties to individuals. This has long-term implications for Indonesia's democratization

Economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Reign · Asian Studies and History · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics · Law · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies

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