Authors:
Kuno Yoseph Genta
1
and
Wihartono
2
Affiliations:
1
Graduate School of Asian and African Studies, Kyoto University, Japan
;
2
Faculty of Social Science and Political Science, University of Indonesia, Indonesia
Keyword(s):
post-truth, populism, Islamic populism, social media, political communication
Abstract:
The current political tension in Indonesia has fuelled speculation that the political orientation in Indonesia itself is moving from the democratisation characterised by the paradoxes in various realms which degrade the subsistence quality of its democracy (Hadis, and Robison 2005; Mietzner 2011; Okamoto and Rozaki, 2006), to the contestation among distinct streams of populism (Hadiz and Robison 2017; Perastyawan 2018; Djani and Tornquist 2017). Furthermore, it is observed as the global phenomenon that cyberspace has become a significant site for such contestation, where disinformation and hate are frequently rampant (Bradshaw and Howard, 2017). In particular, Indonesia has recently witnessed the rise of political figures who embrace the aspiration of dissatisfied people; of these an Islamist group is one of the notable contestants among others attacking each other in cyberspace by frequent use of social media and fake news. This paper will, firstly, describe the nature of such popul
ist cyber activities in the Indonesian political context, drawing primarily on that of the opposition parties’ supporters in facing the 2019 presidential election, and, secondly, discuss the validity of the populist force in navigating Indonesian political dynamics, namely in terms of whether it will be a new political model or end up as a brief phenomenon empty of significance.
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