Yogyakarta, April 24, 2026─The Research Center for Politics and Government (POLGOV) Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), in collaboration with PUSAD Paramadina, publisher Marjin Kiri, and the Kurawal Foundation, organized a discussion forum and literature release entitled “The Resurgence of Authoritarianism in Indonesia: A Decade of Jokowi’s Leadership” (Kebangkitan Kembali Otoritarianisme di Indonesia: Dasawarsa Kepemimpinan Jokowi). This political book review agenda was held on Friday (24/4) afternoon in the West Corridor (Selasar Barat) area of FISIPOL UGM.
The organizers featured four experts from various scientific backgrounds and institutions. The panelists for the discussion included UGM Professor of Political Science, Prof. Amalinda Savirani; Executive Director of CELIOS, Bhima Yudhistira; representative of LKiS and the Cross-Issue Coalition, Tri Noviana; and UGM Professor of Constitutional Law, Prof. Zaenal Arifin Mochtar.
In her presentation, Prof. Amalinda highlighted the current political reality, which shares a strong common thread with the administration’s track record in the previous period. She emphasized that the essence of this book is to map the roots of the shrinking civic space felt by society today.
“What we are experiencing right now namely the decline in the quality of democracy and the shrinking of civic space cannot be separated from what happened during Joko Widodo’s 10 years of leadership,” Linda stated before the participants. This point serves as the foundation that is subsequently analyzed sharply across the various chapters within the book.
Enriching the discussion landscape from a constitutional perspective, Prof. Zaenal Arifin Mochtar, affectionately known as Prof. Uceng, pointed out that the seeds of authoritarianism have actually become ingrained within the state governance structure, even tracing back long before President Jokowi’s leadership era.
“Authoritarianism seems to find a place to thrive when the opposition dies. Its foundation is built by our own system, which inherently harbors problems within the presidential system,” Uceng asserted.
Furthermore, he explained that the anatomy of the presidential system is fundamentally incompatible when juxtaposed with the implementation of a multi-party system. This misalignment of the state structure ultimately magnifies the opportunities and temptations for power holders to practice an authoritarian style of leadership.
This forum was designed not merely to be a celebration of the launch of an academic literary work; rather, the public was invited to continue reflecting holistically on state dynamics and nurturing spaces of freedom. The provision of this continuous dialectical space serves as a tangible form of commitment to upholding justice, ensuring the realization of resilient and inclusive state institutions, and guaranteeing the fundamental freedoms of citizens without exception.