Democracy, Elections, And Populism in Indonesia from The Perspective of Friedrich Nietzsche's Existentialism
Keywords:
Democracy, Election, Merit System, Populism, Existentialism
Abstract
Article history: This research aims to analyze how populism weakens democratic practices in Indonesia and formulate solutions to keep democracy healthy. With Friedrich Nietzsche's existentialism perspective, this research highlights the importance of individual freedom and responsibility in choosing qualified leaders. The research uses a legal method with a legislative and philosophical approach. The results show that Indonesian democracy, which is synonymous with the division of power between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, is often distorted by the influence of populism. Elections held every five years to elect people's representatives and executive leaders at various levels are often used by political elites for their interests by exploiting people's emotions through rhetoric and identity politics. This condition is rooted in the criteria for nominating leaders in Law No. 7/2017, which opens space for the emergence of populism and obscures the purpose of democracy “of the people, by the people, and for the people”. To overcome this, the research recommends revising the regulation by adding competency criteria based on the State Civil Apparatus (ASN) merit system for prospective executive leaders. This strategy is a practical implementation of existentialism in legal politics to maintain the quality of democracy while strengthening political education for the community.
References
Ahmad, N. (2023). “Adaptations of The News Media and Social Media Logics by Indonesian Political Parties’ Leaders and Presidential Candidates After 2004 Indonesian Presidential Election”. Jurnal Komunikasi Ikatan Sarjana Komunikasi Indonesia, 7(2), 423-434. http://doi.org/10.25008/jkiski.v7i2.644
Ardipandanto, A. (2020). " Dampak Politik Identitas Pada Pilpres 2019: Perspektif Populisme [The Impact of Identity Politics on President Election 2019: Populism Perspective]." Jurnal Politica, 11(1), 43-63.
Aspinall, E. (2015). “The Surprising Democratic Behemoth: Indonesia in Comparative Asian Perspective”. The Journal of Asian Studies, 74(4), 889-902. http://doi.org/10.1017/s0021911815001138
Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS). (2024). Indeks Demokrasi Indonesia (IDI) tingkat Nasional, Pusat, dan Provinsi, 2021-2023. https://www.bps.go.id/id/statistics-table/2/MjE2MSMy/-metode-baru--indeks-demokrasi-indonesia--idi--tingkat-nasional--pusat--dan-provinsi.html
Budiman, B., Safitri, B., Putriga, B., & Wicaksono, V. (2022). “Populisme: Konsekuensi dari Stagnasi Politik dan Demokrasi di Indonesia”. Jurnal Polgov, 4(1), 211-243. http://doi.org/10.22146/polgov.v4i1.3916
Budiman, B., Safitri, B., Putriga, B., & Wicaksono, V. (2022). Populisme: Konsekuensi dari Stagnasi Politik dan Demokrasi di Indonesia. Jurnal Polgov, 4(1), 211-243. http://doi.org/10.22146/polgov.v4i1.3916
Dahl, Robert A. (1991). Democracy and Its Critics. Yale University Press.
Eustice-Corwin, A. (2020). “Toward A Neo-Nietzschean Theory of Human Development”. Human Development, 64(2), 68-82. http://doi.org/10.1159/000510971
Herianto, H. and Wijanarko, R. (2022). Populisme Berwajah Politik Identitas Keagamaan di Indonesia. Jurnal Filsafat Indonesia, 5(1), 53-64. http://doi.org/10.23887/jfi.v5i1.39581
Hontvári, T. (2023). “The Problem of History in Nietzsche’s Essay on The Utility and Liability of History for Life”. Jog Állam Politika, 15(2), 101-112. http://doi.org/10.58528/jap.2023.15-2.101
Irawan, D. (2024). Analisis Hukum Terhadap Tindak Pidana Money Politic dalam Undang-Undang Pemilihan Umum. Postulat, 2(1), 34-39. http://doi.org/10.37010/postulat.v2i1.1460
Jan–Erik, L. (2018). “Kiergegaard and Nietzsche: Anticipators and Forerunners”. Arts & Humanities Open Access Journal, 2(5). http://doi.org/10.15406/ahoaj.2018.02.00068
Jati, W. (2023). “Dampak Populisme Agama Dalam Pemilu Kepala Daerah: Pengalaman Pemilihan Gubernur DKI Jakarta 2007-2017”. Dialog, 46(2), 255-268. http://doi.org/10.47655/dialog.v46i2.752
Jati, W. (2023). Dampak Populisme Agama dalam Pemilu Kepala Daerah: Pengalaman Pemilihan Gubernur DKI Jakarta 2007-2017. Dialog, 46(2), 255-268. http://doi.org/10.47655/dialog.v46i2.752
Komisi Pemilihan Umum (KPU). (2019). Rekapitulasi Per Kabupaten/Kota DPT Pemilu Tahun 2019. https://opendata.kpu.go.id/dataset/3022f6368-ae0e132fc-68b02fcb6-4c7b7
Litbang Kompas. (2019). Pemilih Tunggu Kampanye Programatik. https://www.kompas.id/baca/utama/2019/01/07/pemilih-tunggu-kampanye-programatik
Marzuki, P. M. (2010). Penelitian Hukum: Edisi Revisi. Jakarta: Kencana Prenada Media Group.
Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira. (2017). Populism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. http://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780190234874.001.0001
Nadzir, I. and Rastati, R. (2020). “Charisma and Social Media in Indonesian Politics”. Jurnal Masyarakat Dan Budaya, 22(2), 55-74. http://doi.org/10.14203/jmb.v22i2.1063
Nietzsche, F. (2006). Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nietzsche, F. (2017). On the Genealogy of Morality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Pramono, M. (2023). Crisis Studies of The Discourse of Identity Politics in Indonesia from The Perspective of Asabiyah Ibn Khaldun. Potret Pemikiran, 27(2), 148. http://doi.org/10.30984/pp.v27i2.2651
Peraturan Pemerintah Pengganti Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 2022 tentang Perubahan atas Undang-Undang Nomor 7 Tahun 2017 tentang Pemilihan Umum
Rahmawati, R. (2018). “Populisme di Aras Demokrasi Indonesia”. Juss (Jurnal Sosial Soedirman), 2(1). http://doi.org/10.20884/1.juss.2018.2.1.1225
Rizal, D. and Kharis, A. (2022). Kesadaran Sosial dalam Pemikiran Nietzsche: Tinjauan dalam Proses Pengembangan Masyarakat di Indonesia. Empower Jurnal Pengembangan Masyarakat Islam, 7(1), 69. http://doi.org/10.24235/empower.v7i1.9787
Roswantoro, A. (2020). Understanding the Contestation of Multi Political Parties in Indonesia Through Nietzsche’s Conflictive-Agonistic Power and Elias’s Figurative Power Conception. Esensia Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Ushuluddin, 20(1), 1-15. http://doi.org/10.14421/esensia.v20i1.1619
Saputra, A. (2023). Measuring The Political Power of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (Case Study of Megawati's Leadership Style). SIJ, 2(1), 45-53. http://doi.org/10.61391/sij.v2i1.27
Sasan, J. (2023). Existentialism and Its Influence on Our Understanding of Knowledge, Truth, Morality, Values, and Religion. EJLHSS, 1(1), 40-48. http://doi.org/10.61796/ejlhss.v1i1.11
Sihidi, I., Roziqin, A., & Suhermanto, D. (2020). Pertarungan Populisme Islam dalam Pemilihan Presiden 2019. JIIP Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pemerintahan, 5(2), 174-189. http://doi.org/10.14710/jiip.v5i2.8516
Slater, D. (2018). Party Cartelization, Indonesian-Style: Presidential Power-Sharing and The Contingency of Democratic Opposition. Journal of East Asian Studies, 18(1), 23-46. http://doi.org/10.1017/jea.2017.26
Soekanto, S., & Mamudji, S. (2001). Penelitian Hukum Normatif: Suatu Tinjauan Singkat. Jakarta: RajaGrafindo Persada.
Sutini, E. (2023). Upaya pencegahan budaya “money politics” dalam pemilihan umum di indonesia. DeCive, 3(10). http://doi.org/10.56393/decive.v3i10.2051
Transparency International. (2023). Corruption Perceptions Index. https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2023
Undang-Undang Nomor 7 Tahun 2017 tentang Pemilihan Umum
Undang-Undang Nomor 20 Tahun 2023 tentang Aparatur Sipil Negara
We Are Social & Hootsuite. (2021). Digital 2021: Indonesia. https://andi.link/hootsuite-we-
Ardipandanto, A. (2020). " Dampak Politik Identitas Pada Pilpres 2019: Perspektif Populisme [The Impact of Identity Politics on President Election 2019: Populism Perspective]." Jurnal Politica, 11(1), 43-63.
Aspinall, E. (2015). “The Surprising Democratic Behemoth: Indonesia in Comparative Asian Perspective”. The Journal of Asian Studies, 74(4), 889-902. http://doi.org/10.1017/s0021911815001138
Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS). (2024). Indeks Demokrasi Indonesia (IDI) tingkat Nasional, Pusat, dan Provinsi, 2021-2023. https://www.bps.go.id/id/statistics-table/2/MjE2MSMy/-metode-baru--indeks-demokrasi-indonesia--idi--tingkat-nasional--pusat--dan-provinsi.html
Budiman, B., Safitri, B., Putriga, B., & Wicaksono, V. (2022). “Populisme: Konsekuensi dari Stagnasi Politik dan Demokrasi di Indonesia”. Jurnal Polgov, 4(1), 211-243. http://doi.org/10.22146/polgov.v4i1.3916
Budiman, B., Safitri, B., Putriga, B., & Wicaksono, V. (2022). Populisme: Konsekuensi dari Stagnasi Politik dan Demokrasi di Indonesia. Jurnal Polgov, 4(1), 211-243. http://doi.org/10.22146/polgov.v4i1.3916
Dahl, Robert A. (1991). Democracy and Its Critics. Yale University Press.
Eustice-Corwin, A. (2020). “Toward A Neo-Nietzschean Theory of Human Development”. Human Development, 64(2), 68-82. http://doi.org/10.1159/000510971
Herianto, H. and Wijanarko, R. (2022). Populisme Berwajah Politik Identitas Keagamaan di Indonesia. Jurnal Filsafat Indonesia, 5(1), 53-64. http://doi.org/10.23887/jfi.v5i1.39581
Hontvári, T. (2023). “The Problem of History in Nietzsche’s Essay on The Utility and Liability of History for Life”. Jog Állam Politika, 15(2), 101-112. http://doi.org/10.58528/jap.2023.15-2.101
Irawan, D. (2024). Analisis Hukum Terhadap Tindak Pidana Money Politic dalam Undang-Undang Pemilihan Umum. Postulat, 2(1), 34-39. http://doi.org/10.37010/postulat.v2i1.1460
Jan–Erik, L. (2018). “Kiergegaard and Nietzsche: Anticipators and Forerunners”. Arts & Humanities Open Access Journal, 2(5). http://doi.org/10.15406/ahoaj.2018.02.00068
Jati, W. (2023). “Dampak Populisme Agama Dalam Pemilu Kepala Daerah: Pengalaman Pemilihan Gubernur DKI Jakarta 2007-2017”. Dialog, 46(2), 255-268. http://doi.org/10.47655/dialog.v46i2.752
Jati, W. (2023). Dampak Populisme Agama dalam Pemilu Kepala Daerah: Pengalaman Pemilihan Gubernur DKI Jakarta 2007-2017. Dialog, 46(2), 255-268. http://doi.org/10.47655/dialog.v46i2.752
Komisi Pemilihan Umum (KPU). (2019). Rekapitulasi Per Kabupaten/Kota DPT Pemilu Tahun 2019. https://opendata.kpu.go.id/dataset/3022f6368-ae0e132fc-68b02fcb6-4c7b7
Litbang Kompas. (2019). Pemilih Tunggu Kampanye Programatik. https://www.kompas.id/baca/utama/2019/01/07/pemilih-tunggu-kampanye-programatik
Marzuki, P. M. (2010). Penelitian Hukum: Edisi Revisi. Jakarta: Kencana Prenada Media Group.
Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira. (2017). Populism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. http://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780190234874.001.0001
Nadzir, I. and Rastati, R. (2020). “Charisma and Social Media in Indonesian Politics”. Jurnal Masyarakat Dan Budaya, 22(2), 55-74. http://doi.org/10.14203/jmb.v22i2.1063
Nietzsche, F. (2006). Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nietzsche, F. (2017). On the Genealogy of Morality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Pramono, M. (2023). Crisis Studies of The Discourse of Identity Politics in Indonesia from The Perspective of Asabiyah Ibn Khaldun. Potret Pemikiran, 27(2), 148. http://doi.org/10.30984/pp.v27i2.2651
Peraturan Pemerintah Pengganti Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 2022 tentang Perubahan atas Undang-Undang Nomor 7 Tahun 2017 tentang Pemilihan Umum
Rahmawati, R. (2018). “Populisme di Aras Demokrasi Indonesia”. Juss (Jurnal Sosial Soedirman), 2(1). http://doi.org/10.20884/1.juss.2018.2.1.1225
Rizal, D. and Kharis, A. (2022). Kesadaran Sosial dalam Pemikiran Nietzsche: Tinjauan dalam Proses Pengembangan Masyarakat di Indonesia. Empower Jurnal Pengembangan Masyarakat Islam, 7(1), 69. http://doi.org/10.24235/empower.v7i1.9787
Roswantoro, A. (2020). Understanding the Contestation of Multi Political Parties in Indonesia Through Nietzsche’s Conflictive-Agonistic Power and Elias’s Figurative Power Conception. Esensia Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Ushuluddin, 20(1), 1-15. http://doi.org/10.14421/esensia.v20i1.1619
Saputra, A. (2023). Measuring The Political Power of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (Case Study of Megawati's Leadership Style). SIJ, 2(1), 45-53. http://doi.org/10.61391/sij.v2i1.27
Sasan, J. (2023). Existentialism and Its Influence on Our Understanding of Knowledge, Truth, Morality, Values, and Religion. EJLHSS, 1(1), 40-48. http://doi.org/10.61796/ejlhss.v1i1.11
Sihidi, I., Roziqin, A., & Suhermanto, D. (2020). Pertarungan Populisme Islam dalam Pemilihan Presiden 2019. JIIP Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pemerintahan, 5(2), 174-189. http://doi.org/10.14710/jiip.v5i2.8516
Slater, D. (2018). Party Cartelization, Indonesian-Style: Presidential Power-Sharing and The Contingency of Democratic Opposition. Journal of East Asian Studies, 18(1), 23-46. http://doi.org/10.1017/jea.2017.26
Soekanto, S., & Mamudji, S. (2001). Penelitian Hukum Normatif: Suatu Tinjauan Singkat. Jakarta: RajaGrafindo Persada.
Sutini, E. (2023). Upaya pencegahan budaya “money politics” dalam pemilihan umum di indonesia. DeCive, 3(10). http://doi.org/10.56393/decive.v3i10.2051
Transparency International. (2023). Corruption Perceptions Index. https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2023
Undang-Undang Nomor 7 Tahun 2017 tentang Pemilihan Umum
Undang-Undang Nomor 20 Tahun 2023 tentang Aparatur Sipil Negara
We Are Social & Hootsuite. (2021). Digital 2021: Indonesia. https://andi.link/hootsuite-we-
Published
2025-01-24
How to Cite
William Wihardjo, Supriyadi, & Susianto. (2025). Democracy, Elections, And Populism in Indonesia from The Perspective of Friedrich Nietzsche’s Existentialism. International Journal of Health, Economics, and Social Sciences (IJHESS), 7(1), 342~349. https://doi.org/10.56338/ijhess.v7i1.6950
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2025 William Wihardjo, Supriyadi, Susianto
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
