Indonesia's Reform Stagnation Highlighted at 30‑Year Kudatuli Anniversary

On 18 July 2026, Jakarta marked the 30th anniversary of the July 27, 1996 Kudatuli riots with a public lecture titled "Jalan Buntu Reformasi" at Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki. The event featured Professor Vedi Hadiz, a senior lecturer in Asian Studies at the University of Melbourne.

Hadiz argued that Indonesia’s post‑1998 reform agenda remains blocked by a persistent oligarchic structure that originated under Suharto and has adapted to involve bureaucracy, major capitalists, and political parties. He emphasized that "oligarki sebetulnya adalah suatu hubungan yang terstruktur, bersifat struktural, bukan individual, di mana ada aliansi atau fusi kepentingan antara birokrasi atas, politisi, dan modal besar." According to him, the early two decades after reform saw decentralisation that produced local elite networks and heightened corruption, while the last decade has witnessed a re‑centralisation of economic and political power.

Hadiz also noted that President Joko Widodo, the first president elected after the reform era who came from outside the traditional oligarchic circle, ultimately became enmeshed in the same structures to maintain his administration’s stability.