Populism and the Prospects of Local Democratic Consolidation: A Study of Dedi Mulyadi’s Populist Politics in West Java from the Perspective of Democratic Theory

Abstract

Post-reform Indonesian democracy has demonstrated procedural stability through regular elections, yet it continues to face serious challenges regarding the quality of substantive democracy, particularly at the local level. One of the major challenges is the strengthening of populist political strategies that are capable of increasing public participation and sympathy, while simultaneously possessing the potential to weaken deliberative democracy. This article discusses such a dilemma through a study of Dedi Mulyadi’s political strategy within the context of local democracy in West Java. The study aims to analyze whether the populist practices employed are capable of strengthening the prospects for local democratic consolidation or instead reproducing democratic regression through the personalization of power and the weakening of democratic institutions. Theoretically, this study employs the frameworks of substantive and deliberative democracy to assess the quality of political participation, as well as populism theory, which views populism as a political strategy based on the dichotomy between the people and the elite, alongside the personalization of leadership. The concept of democratic regression is utilized to explain how democratic practices may experience decline without eliminating electoral procedures. The research method applied is qualitative with a literature study approach, conducted through the examination and analysis of academic sources, policy documents, as well as secondary data derived from media sources and official reports. The findings indicate that Dedi Mulyadi’s political populism has successfully mobilized the political participation of West Java citizens significantly through cultural symbols, emotional proximity, and the utilization of digital media. However, such practices tend to shift local democracy from a space of policy deliberation toward figural politics, thereby weakening accountability, the circulation of power, and the role of democratic institutions. The prospects for the consolidation of local democracy in West Java remain open, but they are highly dependent upon the strengthening of institutions, the quality of citizen participation, and the limitation of the personalization of power within local political practices.