‘Old guard’ continues to constrain human rights reform in Indonesia

Abstract

In July 2014, supporters of presidential candidate Joko Widodo (Jokowi) celebrated his victory. To many, Jokowi’s election represented a break with the past, as he had no ties to existing military or political elites. The new president was also different from his predecessors in other ways—such as his humble beginnings as a furniture seller, his start in politics at the local level as mayor of Solo before becoming governor of Jakarta, and in the way he presented himself to the public, where he preferred to dress casually and displayed his love of rock and heavy metal music.