Indonesia has recorded the highest COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia. Until today, there has yet to be any sign that Indonesia will be able to tackle the pandemic. The current situation points to a worrying trend as the spread of the virus continues to rise while medical facilities in different regions are collapsing. While the pandemic is worsening, Indonesia is also grappling with the decline of democracy.
This condition is not novel as Indonesia has experienced a downturn in democracy indexes since 2015. Rooms for civil liberties, which have been previously reduced, are even more limited due to physical and social distancing measures imposed by the government. Platforms for democracy no longer function as they normally did before the pandemic.
At the same time, violent extremism persists as a threat in Indonesia. Violent extremist groups exploit the existing crisis and develop a narrative that the pandemic is the right time to increase recruitment and conduct attacks. Such logic makes sense as most of the government’s resources are allocated to measures to counter the pandemic.
To investigate the relationship between the pandemic, democracy, and violent extremism, the research team of the Department of Peace and Development at the Habibie Center conducted a research from August to December 2020. This research was supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, The Habibie Center extends their greatest gratitude to multiple parties who have provided data and inputs, as well as comments, for this research. This report elaborates on findings of this research.

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