James Gomez, a political scientist and regional director of the Asia Centre, was recently guest editor for a special edition of the Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia, examining the critical challenges facing regional democracies.
Entitled “Eroding Electoral Integrity: Reasons for Democratic Backsliding in Southeast Asia,” the issue focuses on Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar, where elections were held between 2020 and 2024.
Gomez says that control over populations is the overriding factor for many governments, which simply have little regard for the popular vote, but they are dependent on economic growth and raising standards of living, which is proving difficult.
Gomez spoke with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt about the report and its case studies, which provide insights into how ruling elites have actively worked to reshape electoral systems and institutions to preserve their dominance – resulting in democratic regression across Southeast Asia.
The report found that elections will increasingly revolve around information campaigns based on misinformation and disinformation, where political parties or coalitions in power and government are responsible for disseminating fake news about their opponents.
Moving forward, Gomez says electorates are likely to witness increased online manipulation in the run-up, during and after elections in the form of foreign interference.
He also speaks about the plight of youths and university systems that are not delivering promised jobs, an overreliance on tourism, a hand-out mentality for the poor and the heavy-handed attitudes of ruling elites when they respond to complaints from their people.
The Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia is published in collaboration with the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University.
