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.

Manipulative propaganda diluted public discourse, shifting focus away from meaningful debates on governance and human rights. This underscores the urgent need for robust fact-checking mechanisms and media literacy initiatives to safeguard informed democratic participation.

Encouragingly, the divisive identity politics that marred Indonesia’s 2014 and 2019 elections played a diminished role in 2024. The presence of three presidential candidates disrupted polarising tactics, steering campaigns toward policy promotion and constructive messaging.

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. Thailand’s electoral framework, shaped by the 2017 constitution imposed by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) military junta, entrenched systemic imbalances.

The Move Forward Party (MFP), which secured 151 parliamentary seats on a progressive platform, faced insurmountable resistance from military-appointed senators and lawmakers aligned with the previous regime. The party’s proposal to amend the royal defamation law (Article 112) was framed as a threat to the monarchy, triggering legal challenges that jeopardised its existence.

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 emphasise 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 deep fakes 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. Candidates, voters and civil society actors frequently faced intimidation, restricting their ability to participate freely.

Electoral commissions, constrained by limited independence and resources, struggled to ensure fair and transparent elections. Meanwhile, systemic barriers continued to marginalise women, ethnic minorities and other vulnerable groups, perpetuating inequities in political representation and participation.

Addressing these pervasive challenges requires coordinated, comprehensive action. Governments, civil society and regional organisations must prioritise strengthening institutional frameworks, dismantling exclusionary practices and enhancing digital and media literacy. These measures are essential to ensuring that elections genuinely reflect the will of diverse populations and safeguard the region’s democratic integrity.

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. These actions undermine public trust, erode accountability and weaken governance.

Parliamentarians must step forward as defenders of these spaces, advocating for reforms that protect fundamental freedoms and ensure inclusive, resilient democratic processes. As elected representatives, they hold the unique ability to amplify marginalised voices, rebuild public trust and champion legislative reforms.

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 chairmanship 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 non-compliance, engage legitimate stakeholders and prioritise delivering humanitarian aid through trusted community-based organisations.

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. Governments must enforce robust labour protections, hold corporations accountable for supply chain abuses and design equitable policies that benefit marginalised communities while preserving natural resources.

The urgency of climate action cannot be overstated. The typhoons, droughts and rising sea levels of 2024 disproportionately impacted marginalised communities, underscoring the interconnectedness of environmental and human rights challenges. ASEAN must adopt rights-based climate resilience strategies, ensuring that affected communities are central to decision-making.

As we enter 2025, the lessons of 2024 serve as powerful reminders that progress is within reach when principled leadership is paired with collective resolve.

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.

These collective efforts are vital to building an inclusive and cohesive ASEAN Community that celebrates and respects the region’s rich political, social, religious, cultural and ethnic diversity.

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.

We hope that these principles and aspirations find a prominent place in the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, which is set for adoption by mid-2025.

-The Jakarta Post (Indonesia)/ANN