Public Policy in the Vortex of Ideological Change: From State to Market Domination?
Wahyudi Kumorotomo & Yuyun Purbokusumo
The changes from the New Order to the Reformation era also shaped the reorganization of capital accumulation and state power relations. During the New Order era, power operated centrally. Public policy became the sole authority of the government under the control of Soeharto’s authoritarian regime. Even though market liberalization had opened in the mid-1980s, capital accumulation interests had to negotiate with the ruling regime to obtain concessions. Meanwhile, the state’s disciplinary power is a tool for the people to obey the will of the authorities. The democratic process is restrained under the pretext of national economic stability and development. The people’s movement was depoliticized with a floating mass policy. However, in its development, resistance to the New Order version of state-capitalistic power continued to bloom.
In 1998, the state power that had been built and maintained for more than 32 years was finally destroyed by the winds of change. The economic crisis, people’s movements and divisions in the elite class sparked the fall of the Soeharto regime. Like flowers in spring, the ideals of change bloomed to decorate the new era called “Reformation”. The process of political democratization began to occur. However, the blooming flowers began to wither when economic inequality widened, the national economy was torn apart, and the imposition of “development” for the purpose of capital accumulation sacrificed the poor people. You could say, after being ensnared by state power, Indonesia is now trapped in a market domination regime.
This book, which is presented to readers, examines public policy in Indonesia which is in the vortex of ideological change from state power to market domination. Changes in regimes and power relations also change the regulatory processes carried out by the state, business forces and people’s movements. This book, with a critical study approach, historical and comparative analysis, provides a sharp analysis of Indonesia’s political economic conditions after 20 years of Reformation. This book shows that amidst the political, economic and socio-cultural chaos in Indonesia, there are always other alternatives to bring change towards justice, prosperity and prosperity for the majority of the people.
