From Autocracy to Oligarchy: Elite Adjustment and Authoritarian Legacies in the Jokowi’s Administration

Abstract

Political dynamics in Indonesia have involved the grassroots and elites. Since the reformasi era, elites who once existed in the New Order have still coloured Indonesian politics. They adapt themselves to stick to the democratic system that has been championed by civil society. However, these elites instead gave the impression of the rise of authoritarianism in Indonesia, to which they turned in various ways. This article shows that there are three elite elements that have survived after the fall of Suharto's New Order, namely: the political elite, the military elite, and the business elite. By using qualitative methods to see how the phenomenon of the elites adapts to the political conditions of Indonesia. An in-depth analysis based on the concept of elite adjustment developed by Panji Anugrah Permana and the concept of successor authoritarianism by James Loxton, this article explains the expertise and skills of elites in influencing the liberal democratic system in Indonesia by reviving the old authoritarianism of the Suharto Order. This article concludes that elements of old authoritarianism from political, military and business elites are trying to adapt to the Indonesian democratic political system by making Jokowi a meeting point that can be used as an extension of interests. With pragmatic thinking and acting out the big tent pattern, Jokowi accommodated these interests until he was finally trapped and sacrificed Indonesian democracy.