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Indonesia Analysts Lower Expectations for Jokowi's Second Term

Ha Nguyen

   Indonesia is about the closest thing left to a liberal democracy in
   Southeast Asia, so analysts had high hopes that President Joko Widodo
   could promote civil rights and transparency, while steering an open
   economy to more global trade. As the president enters his second term
   this month, however, those expectations are coming back down to earth.

   Although Indonesia distinguishes itself with a relatively free press
   and big emerging market, it appears to be backtracking in examples like
   corruption, economic protectionism, and instability in the Papua region
   marked by separatism and ethnic tensions. In an analysis of the next
   term of the president known as Jokowi, investment research firm IHS
   Markit predicted Indonesia's unfulfilled economic reforms would lead to
   gross domestic product growth of 5 percent, lower than the 7 percent
   government goal.

   Corruption is a good example, given the high-profile change to the
   Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in September that led to
   protests across the country of 260 million people. Previously the
   commission was already seen as more show than substance, a nominal way
   for Jakarta to claim it was fighting corruption. But the September
   change took the teeth out of the commission even further, reducing the
   amount of time it can investigate criminals, and requiring it to seek
   approvals from the president, which weakens its independence.
   

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