Local Politics

Indonesia’s unions are engaging in electoral politics in unprecedented ways in an attempt to balance the influence of business

Riverbank settlers love Jokowi, but they don’t want him to become president

Local communities resist mining development on Sulawesi’s Bangka Island

Election campaigning in highland Papua breaks all the stereotypes

While material inducements to voters have been prevalent in 2014, candidates also employ innovative campaign strategies to attract support

The distribution of money, goods and other benefits is an integral part of electioneering in Indonesia

Cultural clashes emerge as Bali struggles to eradicate rabies

A marriage of convenience lies behind a campaign to defend Kopassus soldiers on trial for murder in Yogyakarta

An unlikely alliance between former rebels and a former New Order tormentor will test the limits of Partai Aceh loyalty

The second round of direct elections for governors and district heads shows that democratisation is allowing powerful families to entrench themselves in local politics

Highland communities in Papua are demanding access to services, but there is a limit to what can be offered in the most remote settlements

Regional governments around Indonesia are devising new and ambitious free healthcare schemes for their electorates, but to what end?

People in rural Papua are more interested in basic services than grand political struggles

While a famous ‘reformer’ tries to undermine Indonesia’s local democratic institutions, the predators come to the rescue

The life and work of an Islamic teacher in Aceh shows that the struggle for gender equality is about much more than syariah.

Lapindo Brantas’ involvement in the Surabaya Post has restricted the way journalists report on the mudflow

The victims of the Lapindo mudflow disaster continue to assert their rights to compensation

Mining is booming in East Nusa Tenggara, but where is the wealth going?

Pining for the certainty of the Suharto era