In spite of the fact that Islamic identity politics is not a new theme in Indonesia, this phenomenon is increasing in the public sphere after the 1998 reform. This is marked by the frequent use of religious issues in the political contestations such as the 2017 DKI Jakarta Gubernatorial election and the 2019 Presidential election.

Indonesia’s 2019 presidential election was the latest testament to the popularity of Joko Widodo and his economy-focused domestic agenda. With a stronger popular mandate and a team of rivals standing united behind him, President Jokowi is now in a better position than ?veyears ago to push his reform and revival plans focusing on infrastructure upgrading, human capital development, poverty reduction, and deregulation.

As a regional organization, ASEAN upholds its core principles of non-interference, consultation and consensus. Meanwhile, Responsibility to Protect (R2P) encourages the need for the international community’s intervention to a country that falls to its citizens.