Recentralization, remilitarization and democratic backsliding in Indonesia: The view from the villages

This article examines the connection between democratic backsliding, recentralization and remilitarization through a study of village governance in Indonesia. In recent years, democratic backsliding in Indonesia has been accompanied by a reduction of authority previously granted to village governments. Through implementing regulations, spending mandates and other measures, central governments have reduced the scope for village governments to shape the development of their communities. Involving recentralization of control over patronage resources as a key component, recentralization has produced frustration among elected village leaders. We also show that it involves significant remilitarization, with the armed forces (and police) acting as key agents of recentralization. We argue that recentralization, by shifting authority and resources from democratically elected village governments, reducing scope for citizen participation in decision-making about issues affecting their communities, and re-empowering the coercive apparatus, directly contributes to Indonesia's democratic decline, and we highlight the increasingly important role played by remilitarization in that decline.