It then examines potential flashpoints in Indonesia's relationships with its neighbours over Jokowi's agenda. This article examines Jokowi's statements on foreign affairs, offers a survey of his foreign affairs advisers and places the president in the country's historical and political context. However, an activist presidency in these areas, even if intended only as a domestic effort, will create unintended foreign policy challenges for Indonesia because the country's economic and maritime interests are so closely intertwined with those of its neighbours.

Instead, Jokowi - as he prefers to be known - has declared that he will focus on domestic affairs as part of a broad reform programme, with a particular emphasis on strengthening Indonesia's maritime infrastructure and reasserting the authority of the state. Indonesia's new president, Joko Widodo, is new to foreign affairs and seemingly has little interest in diplomacy, a marked contrast with his predecessor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who sought a role as an international statesman. Nonetheless, they certainly have changed how politics and public policy are being done within their respective localities. It is not yet known if these local “transformative leaders” can change the nature of national-level politics in Indonesia that is often characterised to be dominated by “oligarchic” party leaders.

The report finds a number of characteristics that helped them to become transformative local leaders, including: an ability to develop popular legitimacy among their citizens, independence from political parties, ability to promote innovative policy to reform local public services, having strong political networks with senior politicians and other stakeholders, an ability to handle setbacks, and having political pragmatism. This report profiles a number of Indonesian local transformative leaders, most notably Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini and Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil.

These new local leaders tend to promote novel styles of political leadership that are can transform how public policy and services are delivered at the local level. Since 2001, Indonesia’s political decentralisation has opened fresh avenues for a new generation of local government executives to be elected.

Rela bugil demi ketenaran