A Comparative Analysis of Populist Politics Between Malaysia and Indonesia During Electoral Contestation; and the Imminent Threat to Democracy
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RESEARCH TITLE: A Comparative Analysis of Populist Politics Between Malaysia And Indonesia During Electoral Contestation; and the Imminent Threat to Democracy NAME: SHARIFAH ALAWIYAH SYED HUSSIEN COURSE: RESEARCH MASTERS WITH TRAINING SUPERVISOR: DR IAN WILSON CO-SUPERVISOR: DR VICTORIA MASON STUDENT ID: 31981031 SUBMISSION DATE: WEDNESDAY 24TH FEBRUARY 2021 i STUDENT THESIS DECLARATION I, Sharifah Alawiyah Syed Hussien, certify that this thesis has been completed for the requirement of attaining the award for my degree. This thesis does not contain material which has been used or accepted for any other degree or award under my name for any other institution of higher learning. This thesis does not contain any material that has been previously published or written by another author or, with exception of the use of references and in-text citations. This thesis does not violate or infringe on any copyright, trademark, patent, or other rights whatsoever of any other person. Signature: Date: Wednesday 24th February 2021 ii ABSTRACT Populism played a prominent role in elections held in both Indonesia and Malaysia in 2019 and 2018 respectively, which showed cross regional similarities in terms of strategies employed by populist candidates and elites albeit with different outcomes. This thesis will argue that through the use of nativist and religious rhetoric, this brought forth ‘unlikely alliances’ of nationalist and Islamist coalition’s, reframing of economic issues in identity terms and a counter populism invoking an idea of a pluralist national citizenship in both democracies. This in turn can allow populism to hinder the development of democratic values and principles through illiberalism, anti-pluralism and democratic decline in terms of diminished minority rights. This thesis will propose that populism played a significant part in electoral campaigns in both elections and served to shape their respective outcomes. iii Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 .............................................................................................................................. 7 1.1 What is Populism? ............................................................................................................ 8 1.2 Debates on Populism ........................................................................................................ 9 1.3 Features of Populism ...................................................................................................... 17 1.4 Populism as a Political Strategy ..................................................................................... 19 1.5 Religious Populism ........................................................................................................ 20 1.6 Authoritarian Populism .................................................................................................. 22 1.7 The Rise of Populism and Global Trends ...................................................................... 23 1.8 Populism and Democracy............................................................................................... 24 1.8.1 Debates on Populism As A Threat To Democracy .................................................. 26 1.9 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................................ 32 2.1 Malaysian Case Study .................................................................................................... 37 2.2 Indonesian Case Study ................................................................................................... 41 2.3 Populism as a Threat to Democracy ............................................................................... 44 CHAPTER 3 ............................................................................................................................ 48 3.1 Before GE14 Election .................................................................................................... 51 3.1.1 The Role of Bersih in People’s Solidarity ............................................................... 55 3.1.2 1MDB SCANDAL .................................................................................................. 59 3.2 During the Election ........................................................................................................ 61 3.2.1 Religious Populism During Electoral Campaigns ................................................... 62 3.3 After the Election ........................................................................................................... 69 3.4 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 75 CHAPTER 4 ............................................................................................................................ 77 4.1 Populism in Indonesia .................................................................................................... 78 4.2 Before The Election ....................................................................................................... 83 4.2.1 The 2017 Gubernatorial Election ............................................................................ 85 4.3 During the Election ................................................................................................... 91 4.3.1 Islamic Populism during the Election ...................................................................... 94 4.4 After the 2019 Presidential Election ............................................................................ 101 4.5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 104 CHAPTER 5 .......................................................................................................................... 107 iv 5.1 Nativism Combined with Religious Populism ............................................................. 108 5.2 Alliances Between Islamic Coalitions and Populist Parties ......................................... 114 5.3 Framing Economic Issues in Identity Terms................................................................ 116 5.4 Counter-Populism Invoking A Pluralist National Identity and Citizenship ................. 117 5.5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 119 CHAPTER 6 .......................................................................................................................... 125 6.1 Challenges to Democracy............................................................................................. 128 6.2 Linking Illiberalism with a Counter-Populism............................................................. 131 6.3 Majoritarian Identity and Democratic Regression ....................................................... 133 6.4 Threat to the Rule of Law ............................................................................................ 136 6.5 Authoritarianism........................................................................................................... 137 6.6 Democratic Decline Through Nativist and Religious Discourse ................................. 138 6.7 Political Elites and the Collapse of Separation of Powers ........................................... 141 6.8 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 146 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 149 v ABBREVIATIONS LIST BN- Barisan Nasional (National Front Party) DAP- Democratic Action Party FPI- Front Pembela Islam (Islamic Defender’s Front) Gerindra- Partai Gerakan Indonesia Raya (Great Indonesia Movement Party) IKSIM -Kajian Strategic Islam Malaysia ISMA- Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Malaysian Muslim Solidarity) JAKIM- Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia MCA- Malaysian Chinese Association MIC- Malaysian Indian Congress MUI- Majelis Ulama Indonesia (Indonesian Ulama Council) NKRI- Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia NU- Nadhatul Ulama PAS- Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (Islamic Party of Malaysia) PERKASA- Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa (Mighty Native Organisation) PH- Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) PN- Perikatan Nasional PAN- Partai Amanat Nasional (National Mandate Party) PKB- Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa (National Awakening Party) PKR- Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People’s Justice Party) PKS-Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (Prosperous Justice Party) PPP- Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (United Development Party) PPBM- Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Malaysia United Indigenous Party) SIS- Sister’s in Islam UMNO – United Malay’s National Organisation vi INTRODUCTION This thesis will be a critical examination on populist discourse during electoral contestation between two Muslim majority democracies: Malaysia and Indonesia. This research will focus on populism and compare features of religious mobilization within both countries and the differences in their electoral outcome. More specifically, this thesis will investigate how populism is shaping electoral politics in both countries and will argue that populist