Oct 28, 2021 Last Updated 10:22 AM, Oct 21, 2021

Inside Indonesia

Politics

Languages of propaganda

A statue of Garuda Pancasila, a symbol of the Indonesian nation-state, being painted and finished by a craftsman / merdeka.com/Iqbal S. Nugroho

Cyber troops both for and against the government leverage Pancasila as a weapon in their pseudo-moral bickering

A ‘digital coup’ inside Partai Demokrat

Moeldoko delivering his speech at the Democratic Party’s extraordinary congress / Detik.com

Buzzers paved the way for an orchestrated takeover of the Democratic Party

Normalising the New Normal

TransJakarta bus stops packed with passengers; employees were required to work from office during the New Normal period (June 2020) / kumparan/Iman Taufiq Hidayatullah

The government’s New Normal campaign has been lucrative business for buzzers

Pasukan siber bayaran vs KPK

Map of online news covering the ‘KPK is a Taliban hotbed’ story, showing how mainstream media amplified the cyber troop campaign to garner public support for the KPK Law revision / Drone Emprit

Bagaimana pasukan siber menyebarkan disinformasi untuk mendapatkan dukungan publik untuk revisi UU KPK

Election campaigns and cyber troops

Supporters rally behind the hashtag movement #2019GantiPresident (‘Change the President in 2019’) at the National Monument in Jakarta, 6 May 2018 / ANTARA/Muhammad Iqbal

The election campaigns of both Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto relied on social media propaganda to shape public perceptions

Organisation and funding of social media propaganda

The desk of a buzzer, with dozens of phone cards and seven mobile phones / Wijayanto

Politicians and entrepreneurs spend big on hiring online mercenaries, or ‘buzzers’, to manipulate public opinion on social media in their favour

Reshaping masculine cultures of terrorism

Young men gather at Monas, Jakarta / Francisco Anzola @Flickr creative commons

Former members of terror networks are focussing on masculinity’s role in encouraging violent extremism in Indonesia

Review: The USA, the CIA and Suharto’s coup

JFK hosts Sukarno in Washington, 1961 / AP

Women rising

Berani meets femininity: LPDAKT members, with the women wearing traditional Dayak outfits / Hamsa, LPDAKT

Women in East Kalimantan join male-dominated ‘ormas’ to empower themselves and their community

(A history of) containment on Galang Island

Camp Vietnam o Galang Island / Gaylord Barr

Rapid construction of a COVID-19 hospital is a rare good news story for the government but the motives behind it remain unclear

Nahdlatul Ulama, pesantren and the pandemic

The pandemic is posing unprecedented challenges for Muslims this fasting month of Ramadan

Small island life

Javanese-born transmigration farmers cross from Ranai Island to Sedanau Island to sell vegetables on a daily basis / Narotma, 2017

Remote island communities are fighting for greater autonomy and more suitable, fair development

Moral politics of nationhood

The Movement of Indonesian Council Edict Supporters (GNPF MUI) stage a massive rally in protest of former Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s allegedly blasphemous remarks in Jakarta on 4 Nov. 2016. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)

Constructions of political, sexual and religious others in contemporary Indonesia

Safeguarding tolerance in Semarang

Women bring a traditional dish of bubur prepared for Asyura celebrations / ANTARA FOTO YUSUF NUGROHO

Police and interfaith activists are helping defuse tension and safeguard minority expression

Untreated trauma in Nduga

A teacher formerly posted in Nduga, holds her infant while instructing the children in the emergency school / Sorang Saragih

The plight of Papua’s internally displaced persons is not being recognised by the Indonesian government

Electoral (in)equity

Source/ Dirk Tomsa

More female candidates won’t mean more women in parliament

Another fork in the road for democracy?

Source/ @Jokowi Instagram

The gap between Jokowi and Prabowo has narrowed, but the election outcome will still matter for the prospects of Indonesian democracy

The pre-election edition

Source/ Ichlasul Amal @Flickr

Are #DildoforIndonesia a pair of sexist pricks?

The red letters spell out ‘most enjoyable penis’. Full poster reads, ‘The most fun tronjal-tronjol coalition for Indonesia, Nurhadi-Aldo for Indonesia, most fun tronjal-tronjol’. ‘Tronjal-tronjol’ means losing one’s mind during enjoyable sex activities.

Satirical candidates that once seemed refreshing have slipped into tired obscenity

Gaining the grassroots vote

A shipyard worker, Batam, Indonesia. © ILO/Asrian Mirza

The urban poor and workers unions are looking to local government to improve their lot

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