The issue of political party mergers or fusions has once again become a hot topic in Indonesia's democratic discourse. Recently, speculation regarding the potential merger of several major parties graced the national political stage, although to date, no concrete steps have materialized.
Historically, the phenomenon of mergers is nothing new to the country's political landscape. In the 1970s, the New Order government under President Soeharto took drastic measures to simplify the party system, which was considered overly fragmented and potentially disruptive to national stability following the events of 1965.
The peak of this policy occurred in 1973, when the government forced political parties to merge into larger entities. Islamic-based party groups, such as Nahdlatul Ulama, Parmusi, PSII, and Perti, were unified into the United Development Party (PPP).
Meanwhile, nationalist and non-Islamic factions, including the Indonesian National Party (PNI), the Indonesian Christian Party (Parkindo), the Catholic Party, the Murba Party, and IPKI, were forced to unite to form the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). On the other hand, Golkar was maintained as an independent political entity without undergoing the merger pattern.
This policy successfully created a three-political-force system that dominated elections during the New Order period. However, in the Reform era, which upholds the freedom of association, the relevance of party mergers is now largely seen as a pragmatic dynamic rather than a systemic necessity as in the past.
