Indonesia's 2009 Election Campaign and What It Reveals: Looming Crisis of National Leadership and Governance (A Public Lecture)

PROGRAM

March 12, 2009 (Thursday)
5:00-7:00 p.m.
Bulwagang Sala'am
Romulo Hall, Asian Center
University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City


04:40-05:00
Registration

05:00-05:05
Welcome Remarks

Aileen SP Baviera
Dean
Asian Center
University of the Philippines-Diliman

05:05-05:10
Introduction of the Speaker

05:10-06:10
Indonesia’s 2009 Election Campaign and What It Reveals: Looming Crisis of National Leadership and Governance

Max Lane
Visiting Fellow
Department of Malay Studies
National University of Singapore

06:10-6:50
Open Forum

06:50-7:00
Last Comments from the Lecturer


Moderator
Eduardo C. Tadem
Professor
Asian Center
University of the Philippines-Diliman

ABSTRACT

The early days of election campaigning are revealing a deep alienation between the majority of the public and the political parties that will be standing in the elections. This alienation is sensed by the political party leaderships who express increasing concern about a possible high GOLPUT (boycott) of the election. Why is it that despite the participation of 44 parties in the elections, no party appears to have won significant popularity? Is this connected to failures in the democratization process and the practice of governance? What are the scenarios for this alienation to be manifested in election results and what are their implications for the presidential elections to follow and for national politics? If there is a deepening alienation with parliamentary politics, what are the prospects for a resurgence in activity in extra-parliamentary politics? From where might come new national leadership?


ABOUT THE LECTURER

Max Lane is Visiting Fellow, Department of Malay Studies, National University of Singapore, following a period (2004) as a Research Fellow at the Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University and then (2005-2007) as Lecturer in Indonesian Studies, University of Sydney. He is also well-known for his translations of the Indonesian novelist Pramoedya Ananta Toer and his journalism on Indonesia and East Timor.

His latest book is Unfinished Nation: Indonesia before and after Suharto (Verso, 2008). He is currently working on a follow-up book related to nation-building, the exercise of political power by states of unfinished nations and social struggle in Indonesia, drawing on the ideas of a range of Indonesian political thinkers.