Exploring political violence in Southeast Asia: Who controls Indonesia's satgas parpol?

Abstract

Since Indonesiaa??s independence, elections in that country have been marked by varying degrees of political violence. Groups of thugs, known as satgas parpol have been responsible for this local, low-level violence. Their methods include intimidation, destruction of property, beatings and vandalism, though rarely outright murder. This paper first discusses political violence in Southeast Asia and counterparts of the satgas parpol in the Philippines and Thailand. Then, it discusses the origins and development of satgas parpol, and their links to organized crime with a focus on the city of Yogyakarta. In Yogyakarta, political violence is less prevalent than other parts of Indonesia; this is due to the citya??s unique political culture and institutions. Finally, it concludes that political violence is on the wane in Indonesia; just like in neighboring countries, as democracy is consolidated and entrenched, political violence will become less acceptable.