World Scientific Publishing Company Rsis Commentary: The Series - Jokowi's Second Term: Emerging Issues

RSIS Commentary: The Series — Jokowi's Second Term: Emerging Issues is an edited book which focuses on the 2019 presidential election in Indonesia, the latest phase of political change in the post-Reformasi era in Southeast Asia's largest country, and one of Asia's most strategic players in international diplomacy. The 2019 Pilpres, as it is known for short, saw the re-election of Joko Widodo, a much unexpected and under-rated furniture businessman from the small town of Solo in Central Java who proved himself to be a shrewd politician and survivor, despite not coming from the traditional sources of leadership — the military and the political elite. As he began his second term, the emerging issues that he had to deal with ranged from the traditional, such as the role of religion, to the strategic, such as the debate over the vision of the new cabinet. There are indications that the closing chapter of his presidency in the next few years could be more challenging. Better known as Jokowi, his re-election in 2019 therefore deserved a closer look for a better understanding of its significance and its key dimensions. His re-election will act as a backdrop of what may come in the remaining years of his presidency. To this end, this book is divided into two parts: before and after the presidential election. About the Author <p><strong>Yang Razali Kassim</strong> is a Senior Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, where he is also Editor of two RSIS publications, RSIS Commentary and Strategic Currents. His research interests encompass regional politics as well as the international and strategic relations of Southeast Asia. He spent 20 years with Singapore Press Holdings, including as Regional Editor of <em>The Business Times</em> and as Assistant to Editor & Jakarta Correspondent/Bureau Chief for <em>The Straits Times</em>. During his tenure as a senior journalist, he had covered extensively the region's diplomatic developments, including major power relations and the South China Sea tensions. At RSIS, he continues to write and research on Southeast Asian affairs and the region's relations with the major powers while his views on regional issues have been published or aired in the local, regional and the international media, including <em>BBC</em>, <em>Bloomberg</em>, <em>CNN</em>, <em>Xinhua</em>, <em>The Straits Times</em>, <em>The Jakarta Post</em>, <em>The Nation</em>, <em>Global Times</em>, <em>The South China Morning Post</em>, <em>Yomiuri Shimbun</em>, <em>USA Today</em>, <em>TIME</em>, and the <em>International New York Times</em> (formerly the <em>International Herald Tribune</em>). Among the books that he has authored or edited are <em>Transition Politics in Southeast Asia: Indonesia and Malaysia</em> (Marshall Cavendish Academic, 2005); <em>The Geopolitics of Intervention: Asia and the Responsibility to Protect</em> (Springer, 2014); <em>Strategic Currents: Issues in Human Security in Asia</em> (Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and S Rajaratnam School of International Studies; 2011); <em>South China Sea Disputes: Flashpoints, Turning Points and Trajectories</em> (World Scientific, 2017).</p>