Ahok and the Populist Vote

In yet another article commenting on Indonesian democracy leading up to gubernatorial elections, M. Taufiqurrahman brings into question whether or not voters can be trusted any more. This piece for the Jakarta Post focuses mainly on other ‘failures’ brought about by democratic votes this year, most notably Britain’s decision to leave the European Union in the UK, Trump’s rise to prominence in the United States, and most recently, Colombian voters’ rejection of a peace deal that had been in the making for four years. The article presents populism as a rejection of existing democratic political systems and a ‘quick fix’ in a representative democracy that no longer feels useful or under control.

Lastly, Ahok’s own candidacy is brought into question: while he initially acted as a ‘populist’ governor, several specific policies and programs he has implemented are now cited as being viewed to benefit the elite. These include reclamation projects in North Jakarta, forced evictions and a tax amnesty program. In the end populism is again associated with xenophobia, nativist sentiments and the use of religion and ethnicity as means to attract or divide voters. This piece comes as a warning to voters in the upcoming election to eschew such populist candidates for fear it will change the country for the worse.

Read more about M. Taufiqurrahman’s Pathology of Populism here: http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2016/10/04/commentary-pathology-o...