Southeast Asia’s human rights and democracy

Jakarta—As 2025 begins, Southeast Asia finds itself at a pivotal moment. The region’s trajectory reflects a delicate balance between entrenched challenges and enduring aspirations for democracy, human rights, and justice.

Indonesia’s 2024 general election reflected both the promise and peril of democracy in the digital age. The peaceful transfer of power reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to democratic principles, yet the pervasive influence of disinformation revealed the fragility of electoral processes.

Encouragingly, the divisive identity politics that marred Indonesia’s 2014 and 2019 elections played a diminished role in 2024.

This shift was bolstered by the participation of youth, who made up over 56 percent of the electorate. Their digital literacy and skepticism of misinformation highlighted the transformative power of an informed and engaged voter base.

Thailand’s elections, by contrast, underscored democracy’s ongoing struggles under entrenched military influence. Despite public yearning for reform, constitutional constraints and restricted freedoms stifled progress.

These dynamics expose the structural barriers that continue to hinder Thailand’s democratic aspirations and underscore the urgent need for constitutional and institutional reforms.

These elections illustrate a critical truth: Democracy in Southeast Asia endures but remains perilously fragile. The experiences of Indonesia and Thailand emphasize the need for decisive reforms to protect democratic institutions from digital manipulation, entrenched authoritarian legacies, and systemic barriers to participation.

Disinformation emerged as one of the most significant challenges in 2024, reshaping electoral landscapes and threatening democratic integrity across the region. The proliferation of artificial intelligence amplified the spread of deepfakes and propaganda, exploiting Southeast Asia’s high social media penetration.

Governments and election bodies were largely unprepared to counter these evolving threats, leaving electoral processes vulnerable to distortion. Political violence and institutional weaknesses further eroded electoral credibility.

Addressing these pervasive challenges requires coordinated, comprehensive action. Governments, civil society, and regional organizations must prioritize strengthening institutional frameworks, dismantling exclusionary practices and enhancing digital and media literacy.

Beyond electoral politics, the region’s democratic spaces continued to shrink in 2024 under restrictive laws and targeted attacks on activists, journalists, and civil society groups.

Parliamentarians must step forward as defenders of these spaces, advocating for reforms that protect fundamental freedoms and ensure inclusive, resilient democratic processes.

The region will face a decisive test in 2025, with critical elections in Cambodia and the Philippines alongside Myanmar’s planned polls under its military junta. Cambodia’s democratic deficits are compounded by restrictive laws and crackdowns on opposition figures, while Myanmar’s junta continues its brutal suppression of dissent, displacing millions and committing egregious human rights abuses. The persistent failure of Asean’s Five-Point Consensus to deliver meaningful progress highlights the bloc’s limitations in addressing these crises.

Malaysia’s chairship of Asean in 2025 presents a crucial opportunity to recalibrate the bloc’s approach to regional crises. Asean must impose tangible consequences for the Myanmar junta’s noncompliance, engage legitimate stakeholders, and prioritize delivering humanitarian aid through trusted community-based organizations.

The broader systemic issues threatening democratic resilience must also be addressed. Southeast Asia’s rapid economic growth, while remarkable, has often come at the expense of human rights and environmental sustainability.

The urgency of climate action cannot be overstated. The typhoons, droughts, and rising sea levels of 2024 disproportionately impacted marginalized communities, underscoring the interconnectedness of environmental and human rights challenges.

Democracy thrives on the bedrock of freedom, respect for human rights, and the integrity of periodic elections; principles that must guide the region’s commitment to strengthening governance and accountability. Achieving this vision requires the active participation of all stakeholders, including governments, parliamentarians, civil society, and citizens alike.

The time is now to seize this moment, to rise to the occasion, and to shape a future where democracy is not just an aspiration, but a lived reality for every individual in Southeast Asia. The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network

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Yuyun Wahyuningrum is executive director of Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights and Indonesian representative to the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights for 2019-2024.

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The Philippine Daily Inquirer is a member of the Asia News Network, an alliance of 22 media titles in the region.