Anti-Party Reaction in Indonesia: Causes and Implications

In contemporary Indonesian politics, an anti-party reaction can be observed in attempts to curtail the nation's political parties. This can be seen in the creation of the Dewan Perwakilan Daerah, or Senate, a party-less institution, and efforts by non-governmental organizations to create an independent constitutional commission. Revised election laws now being considered will also attempt to limit the power of the parties, particularly the party centres. This article explains the anti-party backlash as a result of the legacy of anti-party attitudes, the parties' behaviour across the transition, the strong position of the parties as set out in the 1999 election laws, and the current state of public opinion towards the parties. The anti-party reaction contains within it the prospect of delegitimating the parties as a cornerstone of Indonesia's contemporary democracy.