Research Article
The Metanarrative of Pandemic Politics: Indonesian Regional Head Elections Cases
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.4108/eai.14-9-2021.2321355, author={Anyualatha Haridison}, title={The Metanarrative of Pandemic Politics: Indonesian Regional Head Elections Cases}, proceedings={Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Social and Political Enquiries, ICISPE 2021, 14-15 September 2021, Semarang, Indonesia}, publisher={EAI}, proceedings_a={ICISPE}, year={2022}, month={9}, keywords={pandemic politics covid-19 pilkada protean power}, doi={10.4108/eai.14-9-2021.2321355} }- Anyualatha Haridison
Year: 2022
The Metanarrative of Pandemic Politics: Indonesian Regional Head Elections Cases
ICISPE
EAI
DOI: 10.4108/eai.14-9-2021.2321355
Abstract
Indonesia has issued a decision to hold simultaneous regional head elections (pilkada) in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. In recent literature, holding pilkada during a crisis was considered a paradox of democracy. This article aims to explore the comprehensive views of Indonesian scholars concerning the implementation of the pilkada during a pandemic. The protean power theory approach is used to analyze the existing literature and it is possible to build a metanarrative of pandemic politics. This study concludes that Indonesia's experience of conducting pilkada in times of crisis is a form of innovation in power over uncertainty. Innovation is a form of government dexterity to adapt to the pandemic situation, generate capacity and act regardless of the impact that occurs. Like its situation, Indonesia is more accurately metanarrative as a country that strengthens the building of electoral political power to defeat the global pandemic. This is not a decline in democracy – merely a capacity to maintain political stability. Indonesia is easy to face a pandemic if political stability is maintained.