Choosing from the citizens’ toolbox: disability activists as political candidates in Indonesia’s 2019 general elections

Abstract

In this paper, we explore the interaction between unconventional and conventional political participation of electoral candidates with disability who competed in Indonesia’s 2019 general elections. Interviews with electoral candidates highlight that their reasons for entering the electoral race, and strategies adopted over the course of their campaigns, were shaped by their prior involvement in the disability rights movement. This connection between activism and electoral engagement demonstrates how the disability rights movement shaped political candidates’ selection and use of political participation tools.

The significance of these findings has bearing for others seeking to understand the political behaviour of people with disability. In particular, it illustrates that community building based on unconventional political participation can positively influence the participation of people with disability in conventional politics despite ongoing challenges posed by accessibility, public perceptions of disability, and access to resources.

Points of interest

• The 2019 election was the first national legislative election to be held after Indonesia’s new disability law was passed in 2016, and many more people with a disability competed than in it compared to previous elections.

• Most candidates who ran did not have any previous experience running for public office, but the majority did have experience with disability activism.

• Candidates were motivated to run for office to build on the previous successes of the disability movement, to make sure people with disability had a voice within parliament and to use the electoral campaign to raise awareness about disability rights within the community.

• Candidates with a disability struggled with physical accessibility, social stigma, and costs during campaigning.

• Ultimately, it was the skills, networks and resources that candidates previously acquired through their links with the disability movement that helped them to negotiate these limitations.

Keywords:

• Disability
• social movements
• political participation
• elections
• Indonesia

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the research assistance provided by Mr Victor Wai to this paper. Mr Wai undertook a comprehensive literature search. We would like to thank Prof Michele Ford for her comments on previous drafts of the article, and the two anonymous reviewers who reviewed this article.

The authors are grateful to the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre at the University of Sydney for research funding to support this project.

Disclosure statement

There are no conflicts of interest to declare.