Elections in Indonesia

It has sometimes been argued that many Indonesians had little sympathy with western notions of elections being events for the contesting and transfer of power and that they rather supported the New Order's use of 'festivals of democracy', elections as occasions at which the mass of ordinary Indonesians were given the opportunity to celebrate the country's achievements under the rule of its New Order leadership as well as legitimize the continued rule of these leaders. But the need to stage-manage these 'elections' as New Order triumphs finally undid the regime. With chapters describing the last New Order election and the first free election in the post-Suharto era, this volume makes an important contribution to our understanding of the demise of the New Order, and the directions being taken by the emerging regime.

Glossary and abbreviations 1. Introduction: Elections in Indonesia Hans Antlov 2. General Elections under the New Order Syamsudin Haris 3. Patronage, Aliran and Islamic Ideologies During Elections In Jombang, East Java Endang Turmudi 4. Politicization of Religion and the Failure of Islamic Parties in the 1999 General Election Syamsudin Haris 5. Traditional Power and Party Politics in North Lombok, 1965-1999 Sven Cederroth 6. National Elections, Local Issues: The 1997 and 1999 national elections in a village on Java Hans Antlöv 7. Elections and the Media: A discourse analysis of the 1997 and 1999 elections in Indonesia Kaarlo Voionmaa