John Percy’s book, Keeping the Red Flag Flying was published in 2020 by Interventions. It focuses on the 1990s and early 2000s when the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) was the largest revolutionary socialist group on the Australian left. As it follows Percy’s two books, A History of the Democratic Socialist Party and Resistance, Volume 1: 1965-72 (2005) and, Against the Stream, […]
Indonesia’s State Ideology Bill: A Brewing Controversy – by Max Lane
Since June, a controversy has erupted over the “Pancasila Guidelines Bill” (RUU HIP, Haluan Ideologi Pancasila) now being discussed in parliament. This Bill sets out to interpret the Panca Sila, a set of five principles attached to the Indonesian constitution. The five principles are often summarised to be: belief in one God, humanity, national unity, […]
The Politics of National and Local Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia
by Max Lane (ISEAS Perspective : ISSUE: 2020 No. 46, Singapore | 15 May 2020) INTRODUCTION On March 31, President Joko Widodo issued Government Regulation No 21/2020 allowing Large Scale Social Restriction (Pembatasan Sosial Berskala Besar – PSBB) aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19.1 The event marked the beginning of a relatively stable approach […]
Indonesian Politics After the Widodo-Prabowo Rapprochement by Max Lane
Indonesian Politics After the Widodo-Prabowo Rapprochement by Max Lane “With the end of this rhetorical contestation and sense of polarisation, the ‘penny has dropped’ that there is no counter-force to Widodo’s government or its policies. Widodo has, and has always had, a relatively free hand to drive his trategic socioeconomic agenda — one that is […]
China is not a rich country, it’s poor! – Article by Dr Sam King
(Published at Internationalist Notebook Internationalist perspectives on anti imperialism, revolutionary struggle and social change.) *** If you were asked to compare the average Chinese income with the average income in the USA, what would you say? 80%? 60%? 30%? If we judged by the establishment propaganda campaign, Chinese income would be fast approaching that of the USA, […]
Books and Articles on Indonesia (and East Timor) by Max Lane published by ISEAS
Books and Articles on Indonesia (and East Timor) by Max Lane published by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies – Yusof Isak Institute, Singapore. Max Lane, An Introduction to the Politics of Indonesian Unions, ISEAS, 2019. Max Lane, Decentralization and Its Discontents: An Essay on Class, Political Agency and National Perspective in Indonesian Politics, ISEAS, […]
“President Joko Widodo’s New Cabinet: Some Implications for Indonesian Politics” by Max Lane
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • While the composition of President Widodo’s Cabinet indicates continuity in economic policy, recent developments suggest that the new Cabinet’s has political implications. • The rapprochement between Prabowo Subianto and Megawati Sukarnoputri and Joko Widodo, and Prabowo’s appointment as Minister of Defence have deflated the perception that the political elite had become ideologically […]
What does Jokowi’s new cabinet say about where Indonesian politics is headed? by Max Lane
A short piece in Singapore’s TODAY – online: https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/what-does-Jokowi’s-new-cabinet-say-about-Indonesian-politics
Dari ORDER BARU ke gelombang demonstrasi mahasiswa September 2019.
Dari Orde Baru ke gelombang demonstrasi mahasiswa September, 2019. Sejak kolonialis militer dan birokrasi Belanda dipaksa meninggalkan negeri baru Indonesia tahun 1950, Indonesia hanya pernah mengalami SATU budaya politik dan politik ekonomi yang sungguh-singguh terkonsolidasikan: ORDE BARU. HANYA SATU dan itu adalah sebuah kediktatoran totalitarian kapitalisme kroni. HANYA SATU!! 1946-65 tak ada sistem ataupun budaya […]
Indonesian politics: The beginnings of a youth rebellion?
Since Sept 23, there have been student demonstrations in almost every province of Indonesia against numerous new Bills being tabled and passed by the outgoing Parliament. The first protest in the university town of Yogyakarta saw a turnout of 15,000 students, despite the rally call going out less than 24 hours before that. While the students across Indonesia […]
