Book Discussion on ‘The Coalitions Presidents Make’ with Assoc. Prof. Marcus Mietzner at UIII
June 29, 2024Contributor: Achmad Jatnika | Editor: Supriyono
Hosted by the UIII Faculty of Social Sciences, Political Expert Marcus Mietzner, an Associate Professor at the Australian National University, discussed his newly published book “The Coalitions Presidents Make: Presidential Power and Its Limits in Democratic Indonesia” at UIII Campus in Depok, on June 26, 2024.
Prof. Mietzner, a renowned expert in Indonesian politics, began his deep engagement with the country during his initial visit to Jakarta in 1986. Since then, he has authored numerous influential research articles, focusing on the dynamics of the Indonesian military and political parties. His work particularly emphasizes campaign financing, elections, and comparative electoral politics in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, showcasing his extensive expertise in these areas.
In his discussion, Prof. Mietzner highlighted Indonesia’s unique condition, saying that it has had a stable political condition in the past 20 years since the election of former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2004. One indicator of the political stability was that the country had not faced any impeachment or attempted impeachment in the last four periods of the presidency.
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Prof. Mietzner argued the political stability that Indonesia has been through for the past 20 years was influenced by the government’s move to create a large coalition, that is not only built among the politicians but also with the non-party actors such as the military, the police, oligarchs, and religious groups.
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“In his second term, Widodo’s coalition controlled 82 percent of parliamentary seats, and the size of Yudhoyono’s coalitions was not much smaller,” Prof. Mietzner noted. “In the knowledge of the Coalition, the larger the coalition the bigger the influence of president is,” he added.
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The discussion with Prof. Marcus Mietzner was part of the Brownbag Talk hosted by the UIII Faculty of Social Sciences, inviting experts on politics and international relations to discuss contemporary issues in the fields. The talk has attracted critical dialogue and exchange of ideas between faculty members and students at the faculty, supporting UIII’s mission to empower academic communities and foster global outreach through critical scholarly discussion.
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