JOKOWI’S INDONESIA AND THE WORLD BY AHMAD IBRAHIM ALMUTTAQI. SINGAPORE: WORLD SCIENTIFIC, 2020

Abstract

The rise of Joko Widodo, or better known by his affectionate nickname ‘Jokowi’, in 2014 as Indonesia’s new president was initially viewed by many observers as a challenge to oligarchic interests as well as a triumph of the reformasi forces in the country. This was due to not only his outstanding performance as the mayor of the central Javanese city of Solo in 2005-2012 and the governor of the country’s capital Jakarta in 2012-2014, but also the fact that he had no connections to the traditional political, big business or military oligarchies. Nevertheless, it was also because of such a background, Jokowi faced a hostile parliament upon his accession as the seventh president of the country since the majority of the members of parliament were in the opposition coalition that backed ex-General Prabowo Subianto, his long-time rival. From time to time, Jokowi has to figure out various strategies to deal with such political challenges and this has brought significant impact on Indonesia’s foreign policy. During his first term in 2014-2019, Indonesia’s foreign policy was generally reactionary instead of active and assertive in nature because Jokowi needed to focus on dealing with the challenging domestic situation. This is the central theme of Ahmad Ibrahim Almuttaqi’s Jokowi’s Indonesia and the World.