Why Indonesia's Democracy Has Never Been Healthy Since Reformasi
Indonesian Jesuit scholar Stefanus Hendrianto has assessed that the democracy built in Indonesia has never been truly healthy since the beginning of the reform era. The reason, he says, is that Indonesian democracy has focused solely on electoral competition. “Our democracy has effectively been running in place for the last two decades,” Hendrianto said during a discussion of his book “Democracy and the Rule of Law in Indonesia” at the CSIS Auditorium in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, 8 July 2026.
He also dismissed the notion that the democracy of the 1950s was a state failure. “The 1950s were a golden age for Indonesia when the parliamentary system worked, civilian supremacy was maintained, and the elite were committed to democracy,” he stated. In his book, he highlights the 1945 Constitution and the presidential system as the source of Indonesia’s political problems. He proposes replacing the presidential system with a parliamentary one and drafting an entirely new constitution, including opening up the possibility of amending the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution.
Hendrianto further introduced the concept of an adolescent democracy, describing a society still easily swayed by social assistance politics and short-term interests. According to him, this condition shows that a mature citizenry in democratic life has yet to be formed. In another view, he rejected the notion that polarisation is a threat to democracy. “Polarisation is actually good because society has choices, whereas currently we do not have real ideological differences,” he said.
He also criticised the use of the term oligarchy, deeming it inaccurate to explain Indonesia’s condition. Hendrianto prefers the term Authoritarian Constitutionalist Capitalist Regime, a state capitalist regime wrapped in a constitution but retaining authoritarian characteristics. In his final argument, Hendrianto assessed that the concept of the rule of law in Indonesia has shifted into merely an instrument of power. He stressed that hope remains open if the younger generation dares to carry out fundamental reforms of the state administration system and build a constitution that truly supports democracy and the rule of law.
Constitutional law lecturer at Jentera Indonesian Law School, Bivitri Susanti, agreed with Hendrianto’s main thesis that Indonesian democracy lacks a strong republican foundation. However, she argued that this weakness is not solely due to constitutional design but is also influenced by the legacies of colonialism and the New Order regime, which have shaped the political culture to this day. Bivitri explained that colonialism left a feudalistic legacy that remains deeply rooted in society. This condition, she said, is now reinforced by the growth of a militaristic culture that places obedience to superiors as a primary value in public life.
“We essentially never had a good foundation for a republic. Two factors contributed strongly to this: colonialism and the New Order,” Bivitri said at the same event. She assessed that the New Order also distanced citizens from politics through the concept of the ‘floating mass’ and the slogan ‘development yes, politics no’. As a result, a public sphere where citizens could discuss common interests on an equal footing never developed optimally. Nevertheless, Bivitri said she agreed with Hendrianto’s proposal to build a new constitution if it can create conditions conducive to the growth of republicanism. According to her, the most important thing is not merely replacing the constitutional text, but building a political system that opens more space for public conversation, citizen participation, and the birth of new imaginations about the nation’s future.
Bivitri added that hope for Indonesian democracy still exists, particularly through the involvement of the younger generation in building sustainable social movements. She stressed that change cannot be achieved solely through elections, but also by cultivating active citizens who safeguard public spaces and oversee democratic life on a daily basis. Meanwhile, President Prabowo Subianto stated that democracy is often coloured by various challenges and dynamics. He said democracy is not an easy system to implement. On the contrary, he noted, democracy in practice carries various risks, such as challenges, pitfalls, and parties attempting to hijack the democratic process for certain interests. “It is the best system for justice, hope, and inclusivity. We must not give up,” Prabowo said in his welcoming speech to the Indian diaspora at the Indian Community Reception, which was also attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jakarta on Tuesday, 7 July 2026.