Since it was first implemented in 2005, local election to strengthen democracy in the regions in Indonesia faced various dynamics such as conflict and violence, money politics, manipulation and fraud which basically damage the essence of procedural democracy. These themes have been discussed by various groups in various discussions, but the interface between politics and bureaucracy seems to be absent from the spotlight and is even considered normal phenomenon. What makes this crucial issue to be reviewed is that bureaucratic involvement in local election will disrupt the contestation process through the involvement of state apparatus or because of political pressure to side with certain candidates and mobilize state resources for succeeding certain groups.
In Indonesia, discussions about politics and bureaucracy are nothing new. We can trace this phenomenon to the centralistic regime, where all government apparatus were associated with one political interest group or political party. Although the containment of interaction between the two have been regulated in regulations, their relationship remains with a pattern of interaction that is developing and increasingly dynamic. The politics and bureaucracy interface become complex since the first simultaneous regional elections were held in 2015, and continued in the following years, which not only became an arena for political competition, but also reflected increasingly complex interactions in the policy-making process and government implementation.
This book chapter is here to examine more deeply how bureaucracy and politics influence and interact with each other in the context of simultaneous regional elections, as well as their implications for the development of democracy and governance in Indonesia. This book chapter is as a response from the authors to the 2024 simultaneous regional elections held in all provinces and districts/cities in Indonesia. Bureaucracy has a crucial role in ensuring that regional elections run transparently, fairly, and accountably. On the other hand, politics is often an arena where the interests of various actors compete, both to seize power and to influence policy. The meeting between bureaucracy and politics in simultaneous regional elections creates a unique dynamic, where these two elements must work together, but tensions often arise due to differences in interests.
Through various perspectives and in-depth analysis, this book chapter aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how simultaneous regional elections affect the relationship between bureaucracy and politics, and their impact on the quality of democracy and governance in Indonesia. This book chapter is compiled by researchers, and practitioners who have expertise in the fields of bureaucracy, politics, and governance. Each chapter in this book is designed to provide in-depth and data-based analysis, so that it can be a valuable reference for students, researchers, policy makers, and the public who are interested in understanding the dynamics of simultaneous and comprehensive regional elections with bureaucracy and politics.