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Abstract

This article argues recent performance of the rule of law in the 25-years period after Soeharto’s authoritarian regime. Why has there been a weakening of civil liberties, while on the other hand the oligarchic power and authoritarianism strengthens the current Indonesia’s politics. This article examines the prevalence of arbitrary practices, not only in the fair procedural process of law enforcement, but also why it is so easy to pass anti-democratic laws that contradict the principles of the rule of law. By referring to three specific case studies: free expression, academic freedom and press freedom, this article found that politics in Indonesia have become increasingly cartelized, while at the same time, systemically featured embedded oligarch politics. This starts from cartelized party by designing oligarch-based election trapped into constitutional system. In current politics, Jokowi’s administration represents the re-consolidation and strengthening of ‘new model’ of authoritarianism, which has seriously affected the rule of law, human rights and constitutional democracy, including the fundamental right to freedom of expression. Therefore, unsurprisingly, his political legacies during the Prabowo era and Jokowi's son, Gibran, will work with the same pattern and strategy of exploiting oligarchic power relations in the legal system.

Bahasa Abstract

Artikel ini membahas kinerja terkini negara hukum dalam kurun waktu 25 tahun pasca rezim otoriter Soeharto. Mengapa terjadi pelemahan kebebasan sipil, sementara di sisi lain kekuasaan oligarki dan otoritarianisme menguat dalam politik Indonesia saat ini. Artikel ini mengkaji maraknya praktik sewenang-wenang, tidak hanya dalam proses prosedural penegakan hukum yang adil, tetapi juga mengapa begitu mudah untuk meloloskan undang-undang anti-demokrasi yang bertentangan dengan prinsip-prinsip negara hukum. Dengan merujuk pada tiga studi kasus khusus: kebebasan berekspresi, kebebasan akademis, dan kebebasan pers, artikel ini menemukan bahwa politik di Indonesia semakin terkartelisasi, sementara pada saat yang sama, secara sistemik mencirikan politik oligarki yang tertanam. Ini dimulai dari partai yang terkartelisasi dengan merancang pemilihan umum berbasis kendali oligarki yang terperangkap dalam sistem ketatanegaraan. Dalam politik saat ini, pemerintahan Jokowi merupakan konsolidasi ulang dan penguatan 'model baru' otoritarianisme, yang telah berdampak serius pada supremasi hukum, hak asasi manusia, dan demokrasi konstitusional, termasuk hak fundamental atas kebebasan berekspresi. Oleh karena itu, tidak mengherankan jika warisan politiknya selama era Prabowo dan putra Jokowi, Gibran, akan berjalan dengan pola dan strategi yang sama dalam mengeksploitasi hubungan kekuasaan oligarki dalam sistem hukum.

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