Oligarchic Cartelization in Post-Suharto Indonesia
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2020 Oligarchic Cartelization in Post-Suharto Indonesia Bonifasius -. Hargens Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Public Administration Commons, and the Public Policy Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Bonifasius Hargens has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Benedict DeDominicis, Committee Chairperson, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Marcia Kessack, Committee Member, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Dr. Tamara Mouras, University Reviewer, Public Policy and Administration Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2019 Abstract Oligarchic Cartelization in Post-Suharto Indonesia: Exploring the Legislative Process of 2017 Election Act by Bonifasius Hargens MPP, Walden University, 2016 BS, University of Indonesia, 2005 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University [November 2019] Abstract A few ruling individuals from party organizations overpowered Indonesia‘s post-authoritarian, representative democracy. The legislative process of the 2017 Election Act was the case study employed to examine this assumption. The underlying thinking was that there was a contest between ―wealth power‖ (oligarchy) and ―participation power‖ (democracy). The power of wealth controls the party and government institutions. Notwithstanding the presence of participation power, there was, however, no balance between wealth power and participation power, because the formal control of politics was in the hands of party oligarchs. The study purpose was to bridge the gap in knowledge by exploring how the party oligarchs maintained the policymaking, reputedly using cartelized strategies, to defend the status quo. By employing the oligarchy and cartelization theories, the central research question of this inquiry focused on how the party oligarchs, allegedly using cartel work-patterns, mastered the policy process in post-Suharto Indonesia. A qualitative case-study was used with in-depth interviews with 15 participants for data collection and the N-Vivo program for data analysis. Qualitative findings indicated that the party oligarchs engineered the legal process in parliament applying cartelized strategies to defend privileges they obtained from collusive interpenetration with the state. The implications for social change include informing members of parliament, other policymakers, and civil society groups of the cruciality of comprehending the modus operandi of oligarchic cartels. Understanding the ―oligarchic cartelization‖ theoretical postulate is a fundamental step for party members to improve their performance in public offices. The results of this study can also be a useful reference for pro-democracy activists to defend the ontological essence of public participation in implementing representative democracy at an appropriate level. Oligarchic Cartelization in Post-Suharto Indonesia: Exploring the Legislative Process of 2017 Election Act by Bonifasius Hargens MPP, Walden University, 2016 BS, University of Indonesia, 2005 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Administration Walden University [November 2019] Dedication While—at the very beginning—giving thanks to the Almighty God, the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), this dissertation is dedicated to my beloved mother, Maria Elisabeth Bunga, who peacefully slept in the Lord on April 15, 1995, and my extraordinary father, Romanus Aber, a humble Catholic and hard-working farmer currently living in Anam, a small village in Flores island in the eastern part of Indonesia. Acknowledgment I complete this Ph.D. program in difficult life-circumstances. In the past few years, my health has been declining, and my office workload has increased. However, I believe the worst is over. For that reason, I wholeheartedly give thanks to the Almighty God who gave me the strength to go through the storm in my life. I hope that this Ph.D. degree will be valuable capital for me to strengthen my ethical engagement and encourage social change in society at the appropriate level—as a kind of thanksgivings for the blessings granted so far in my lifetime. My exceptional gratitude goes to Professor Benedict DeDominicis, Ph.D. and Dr. Marcia Kessack, as my dissertation committee members who have courageously and professionally guided me and supervised the entire process during the completion of this dissertation project. Special to Professor DeDominicis, I did enjoy so many of his journal articles internationally published. He also inspires me to explore in a futher research after graduation the issue of Islamist radicalism in contemporary Indonesia, especially the correlation between cartelized, Islamic parties and the rise of identity politics in contemporaneous contexts. It reminds me what the President of Walden University, Dr. Ward Ulmer, underlined in his opening speech at the Atlanta Academic Residency in August 2019 that being a Walden scholar is to be the agent of social change at any level. I am also grateful for the professional support of Meghan Irving, MA from the Walden Writing Center who reviewed the form and style of the manuscript, Dr. Tamara Mouras from the review committee serving in the role of University Reviewer, and Dr. Sue Sobacz as the Chief Academic Officer and Provost. To all professors and faculty staffs at Walden University, especially Yoshihiko Yoshimine who has been my wonderful academic advisor, Dr. Timothy Fadgen who provided insightful feedbacks, Dr. Lori Salgado, Dr. Mary Brown, Dr. Raj Singh, Dr. Ernesto Escobedo—all from Walden Contributing Faculty—, and my Walden colleague, Michael Hall, who gave insightful peer debriefing during the completion of this dissertation project, I express my sincere gratitude. Their thoughtfulness is a blessing in my life journey. For their sincerity in giving insightful comments on my dissertation draft, I begged God's blessings for the kindness of Professor Maribeth Erb of the National University of Singapore (NUS), Professor Jeffrey Alan Winters of North Western University, Dr. Adonara Elisabeth Mucek from Singapore, and Marcus Mietzner of Australian National University (ANU). Talking with these distinguished scholars has contributed greatly to the completion of this project. I thank as well Professor Vincent J. Houben and Professor Boike Rehbein, both from Humboldt University (Germany), because, to be honest, the underlying idea in this dissertation project had been developing since I started attending their lectures at Humboldt University in Berlin in 2011. Also, Dr. Marc Baldwin and Dr. Scott are those who worth noting for having assisted in editing this work. Discussions with many respectful, distinguished people have given me strength during the completion of my Ph.D. program. For this reason, I must thank the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko ‗Jokowi‘ Widodo, for encounterings with this author discussing various issues concerning the Indonesian social and political developments. For plenty reasons, I also thank Police General Tito Karnavian as the National Police Chief (KAPOLRI), Police General Suhardi Alius as Head of the National Agency for Counterterrrorism (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Terorisme/BNPT), and Police General Gories Mere as the President‘s Special Staff and the entire team at the Executive Office of the President. Many thanks go also to Rear Admiral of the Indonesian Military (Tentara Nasional Indonesia/TNI) Ponto B. Soleman, as well as my friends Edo and Ravael from the Army Special Forces, for their warm fraternity and our insightful discussions since 2015 concerning the Islamist radicalism in contemporary Indonesia. Their efforts along with all military personnel in maintaining national security is a proud example. I also feel proud of my acquaintance to Adam Milstein of Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, a Los Angeles, California-based nonprofit foundation, and all good people worldwide who dedicate their lives to fighting against racism, radicalism, and terrorism to promote a more peaceful world, tolerance within multicultural contexts, and unity in diversity. One thing that is impossible to forget is the valuable support from the Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), GOLKAR‘s Bambang Soesatyo, and all the participants involved in this study whose involvement has been fundamental to this project completion. I give them my most grateful thanks. I owe much thanks to my friends in political parties, parliament, and government institutions those who have lent their helping hands in sharing some details of information required in this study. In addition, from the bottom of my heart, thousands of thanks to my best friend,