Deputy Chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat, or MPR) of the Republic of Indonesia (RI), Mohammad Eddy Dwiyanto Soeparno, S.H., M.H., obtained a doctorate from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) of Universitas Indonesia (UI), after taking the Open Doctoral Promotion Examination held at the Juwono Sudarsono Auditorium, FISIP UI, UI Depok Campus, on Thursday, December 12. He graduated with cum laude predicate after presenting a dissertation titled “Transformasi Perubahan Partai di Indonesia: Studi Kasus Partai Amanat Nasional Periode 2016–2022” (Transformation of Party Change in Indonesia: Case Study of the National Mandate Party for the 2016–2022 Period).
In his research, Eddy examines the transformation of the National Mandate Party (PAN) during the 2016–2022 period, focusing on factors causing change, such as strategy, issues, and internal characteristics of the party. He highlights two main factors driving party change, namely external factors including the dynamics of the political environment, and internal factors including changes in leadership, factional competition, and organizational characteristics.
“This study is important because political parties in Indonesia often face significant dynamics. Although I served as Secretary General of PAN in the 2015–2024 period, my position in this study is as an independent academic. This ensures objectivity and academic integrity in research, without being influenced by personal political affiliations,” said Eddy.
Eddy explained that PAN, which was founded in 1998 with a platform of democracy, pluralism, and inclusivism, experienced three important changes during the 2016–2022 period. First, in terms of political strategy, PAN experienced a change in the direction of coalition support throughout the 2014–2019 General Election. Second, in terms of issues, PAN has again played a central role in the national political map through religious issues by supporting the Islamic populist movement since 2017 and becoming a pioneer of the conservative Islamic movement. Third, in terms of organizational decision-making, PAN has shifted from the strong personalization of Amien Rais’ leadership to a formal and structured system. This was emphasized in the 5th PAN Congress in 2020, which introduced a new mechanism in accordance with the Party’s Articles of Association and Bylaws.
With these changes, Eddy concluded that PAN has shifted from an ideological-confrontational party that focuses on policy-seeking to a pragmatic-cooperative party that is oriented towards obtaining votes and positions (vote and office seeking). To that end, using the Historical Institutionalism approach, he explores the internal and external factors that influence PAN’s transformation, including the influence of the multi-party presidential system, the rise of Islamic populism, and changes in internal leadership.
The Historical Institutionalism approach is an approach that focuses on empirical questions with world realities, historical orientation, and attention to how institutions influence behavior and outcomes. In his research, Eddy identified several critical junctures or important turning points, such as PAN’s defeat in the 2019 General Election and Zulkifli Hasan’s victory in the 2020 Congress. The change in PAN’s political orientation, which again carried an inclusive and pluralist platform, showed the party’s flexibility in responding to external dynamics, especially through changing coalition strategies and adjusting issue positions.
Eddy emphasized that the transformation of political parties is not always triggered by a simple causal mechanism, but is the result of a dynamic interaction between external factors, such as the rise of Islamic populism, and internal factors within the party. Furthermore, he also highlighted the importance of institutional patterns within the party, such as decision-making mechanisms and ideological structures that play a role in facilitating or limiting change.
Eddy’s Doctoral Promotion Session was chaired by Prof. Adrianus Eliasta Meliala, Ph.D, with the examining team consisting of Dr. Sri Budi Eko Wardani, SIP, M.Si.; Dr. Huriyyah; Meidi Kosandi, Ph.D; and Dr. Mada Sukmajati. The open examination was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Transmigration, Viva Yoga Mauladi; Deputy Minister of Trade, Dyah Roro Esti; Deputy Chairperson of the MPR RI, Dr. Lestari Moerdijat, S.S., M.M.; Chairperson of Commission VII of the DPR RI, Dr. H. Saleh Partaonan Daulay, M.Ag., M.Hum., M.A.; and Deputy Chairperson of Commission VI of the DPR RI, Eko Hendro Purnomo.
