Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Joko Widodo at his inauguration ceremony, Oct. 20. Photo: Oscar Siagian/Getty Images
Newly sworn in for his second term in office, Indonesian President Joko Widodo has already made clear that he will prioritize an economic agenda focused on investment and infrastructure over political reforms.
Why it matters: Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia and has made a striking transition from the Suharto dictatorship to a vibrant democracy over the past 20 years. Jokowi, as the president is widely known, entered his first term vowing to battle graft, but his shift in focus may put civil liberties and the country's hard-won democratization at risk.
Where it stands: Jokowi’s economic program has been relatively successful. His administration has taken important steps to reduce poverty and improve growth, although Indonesia’s economy still struggles with monopolies, graft and red tape.
Yes, but: Many Indonesians are angry that Jokowi seems to have abandoned the fight against corruption and for political change.
- Jokowi did little as parliament passed legislation gutting the country’s anti-graft watchdog. Thousands demonstrated earlier this year in the streets against that decision and other potential laws that would drastically reduce personal freedoms. The protests left hundreds injured and three students killed.
- Jokowi has stayed the implementation of the restrictive laws, but they could be passed through the new parliament.
Background: Jokowi is Indonesia's first president not to emerge from the military or the political elite and has presented himself as a reform-minded man of the people.
- In winning his second term, he fought off a challenge from Prabowo Subianto — a former general who has touted his strongman, anti-democratic appeal and has allegedly overseen widespread rights abuses — only to turn around and appoint him defense minister.
- The arrangement keeps his rival close, but Prabowo is known as a loose cannon and will have significant authority as defense minister.
Between the lines: While some of Jokowi's appointees are capable, such as the respected finance minister, he has drawn heavily from the army, which still often operates with near impunity, and has chosen other politically expedient figures with little regard for corruption or civil liberties.
- These Cabinet choices align with other decisions to win broad support for his economic agenda. Prabowo, for example, brings with him the backing of the third-largest party in parliament.
The bottom line: Jokowi’s economic focus might further boost Indonesia’s growth rate, while cementing a parallel legacy of democratic decay.
Joshua Kurlantzick is senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations.