Dr Dirk Tomsa - Volunteers and Indonesian Elections

The last five years have seen the emergence of volunteer organisations as new actors in the campaigns of some of Indonesia's most important elections. Who are these volunteers, what motivates them and what role do they play in elections. Have volunteer organisations changed the role of political parties, or opened new access for the citizens mobilising as part of them? How will they influence the 2019 presidential elections. In this week's Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dave McRae explore these issues with Dr Dirk Tomsa, senior lecturer in the Department of Politics and Philosophy at La Trobe University and a new co-host in 2017 of the Talking Indonesia podcast. Talking Indonesia, co-hosted in 2017 by Dr Dave McRae, Dr Jemma Purdey, Dr Charlotte Setijadi and Dr Dirk Tomsa, presents extended interviews each fortnight with experts on Indonesian politics, foreign policy, culture, language and more. Photo Credit: Dave McRae. Find all the Talking Indonesia episodes and more at the Indonesia At Melbourne blog.