In Search of Local Regime In Indonesia

Book excerpt: Democracy is frequently considered a single (and thus uniform) national programme. However, political structures and opportunities differ clearly in various contexts, and as such they have their own influences and consequences. The study of democracy and democratisation must be reinforced with research that emphasises local perspective over national ones, for it is at the local level that different centres of power interact and understandings of genuine democratic practices are created. It is in this spirit that this book attempts to examine the diverse problem of democracy and democratisation in various Indonesian localities, while also underscoring the importance of considering asymmetrical approaches to democratisation. A mapping of the different local regimes in Indonesia and necessary to understand how they respond to or even bypass the practice of democracy. This book, drawing on eleven case studies, reaches the conclusion that the varied local regimes in Indonesia can be grouped into five categories: formalist/elitist, consociational, pluralist/compromistic, socio-cultural, and formalist/deliberative. Through its mapping of local regimes in Indonesia, this book offer a new passion for the continued and substantive (re)setting of democratisation in Indonesia, which need not be limited to electoral democracy, but may rely on asymmetrical democracy—a democracy that understands and accommodates localities and fundamental for it development. The future democratisation of Indonesia can be truly “ in the regions, from the regions, for Indonesia”. Using such a logic, democracy will be manifested through a bottom-up process, and therefore offer the ability to jointly manages Indonesia’s unity in diversity.