Articles by Olle Tornquist

In October, Joko Widodo, or "Jokowi", campaigning on a populist pro-democracy platform, became the new president of Indonesia after a bitter election campaign against oligarch Prabowo Subianto, a former military officer who was supported by elements of the former Suharto regime. Jokowi's victory illustrates both the real achievements and the profound limits of Indonesian democracy. Fortunately, it also highlights possibilities for substantive reform.

Prisoners of Social Capital Interrogating Social Capital: The Indian Experience edited by Dwaipayan Bhattacharyya, Niraja Gopal Jayal, Bishnu N Bohapatra and Sudha Pai; Sage Publications, New Delhi, Thousand Oaks and London, 2004;

Indonesia needs a renewed agenda of 'substantial democracy'. Its fledgling democracy is still dominated by players from the old elite who retain their presence in most institutions of governance. The pro-democracy movement is active in pockets and remains confined to isolated attempts at organising civil society.

What are the characteristics and problems of Indonesia's democratisation? First, it is argued here, the current elite-focused approaches and recipes are insufficient. Politics is getting more localised and there is a special need to study actors and processes that may deepen democracy. Secondly, the problems of attempts at popular politics of democratisation are examined. Third, this view from below is used to analyse the 1999 elections and their turbulent aftermath.

While the recent elections were free and fair, the context was not just and the substance was shallow, with a lack of opportunities to make use of the political liberties. The healthy growth of the world's third largest democracy depends crucially on the further development and consolidation of the democracy movement.