'Negative Sovereignty' and Jakarta's Gubernatorial Election

Campaigns for the election of regional chief executives in the past three months have exposed the dirty side of democracy. Most candidates running for office this Wednesday have fallen into the trap of debating primordial issues, instead of proposing anything substantive.

Meanwhile their supporters, particularly in Jakarta, have even been using religious and racial sentiment in their campaigns. News reports attacking candidates have appeared in social media. Fake news has spread widely. This show of hatred, which endangers social harmony, has been served up in the most brutal fashion.

February 14, 2017