Democracy in the Prabowo Era Is Working Well, With Broad Space for Dialogue

Jakarta, VIVA – Executive Director of Indonesia Political Review (IPR), Iwan Setiawan, said that democracy in the Prabowo Subianto administration is functioning well and is well managed, and space for dialogue is always open to the public.

This is positive for the Prabowo government because the dialogue approach is consistently prioritised, thereby strengthening resilience or endurance of democracy in Indonesia to become extraordinary.

This was conveyed by the political analyst who is also the Executive Director of Indonesia Political Review, Iwan Setiawan, in Jakarta.

‘Indonesia’s democracy, often deemed fragile, actually shows resilience or endurance that is extraordinary under a firm leadership of President Prabowo,’ said Iwan Setiawan, quoted on Wednesday, 20 May 2026.

Iwan explained that one of the vital indicators of democratic resilience is the extent to which civil society and the mass media can perform their watchdog function. Under Prabowo’s leadership, concerns about a return to tighter information control have not materialised in a systemic way.

According to data from the Press Council, the 2025 Indeks Kemerdekaan Pers (IKP) score stood at 69.44, or in the ‘quite free’ category. This figure edged up slightly from 2024’s score of 69.36.

‘Based on the annual freedom of the press report data, Indonesia’s position remains in a stable category. This is reinforced by the absence of a state-coordinated media censorship policy, and the continued activity of criticism channels on social media,’ he said.

A latest survey from the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) shows that 73.9 percent of the public agree that Indonesia is a democratic country, meaning the legitimacy of the democratic system in the eyes of the public remains relatively strong.

This is reflected in a legal footing that is fair and impartial in the Prabowo era. A number of major corruption cases have been uncovered by the KPK and the Attorney General’s Office, including one instance of ‘cleaning up’ within state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

Furthermore, according to Iwan, Prabowo’s firm leadership does not close the space for dialogue. He notes that the government has adopted a ‘narrative duel’ approach in the digital space, where criticisms are answered with data and policy explanations.

The dynamics of protests and the expression of opinions in public forums also continue to operate within the legal framework. Over the last two years, security forces have shown a more persuasive and humane approach in safeguarding mass actions,’ he said.