KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 — The world is facing five worrying phenomena that is threatening global democracy, according to former Indonesian president Professor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

In his keynote address at the regional conference titled "State of Democracy in South-east Asia: Achievements, Challenges, Prospects” today, Yudhoyono said the five challenges were a return to authoritarianism, the rise of fake news in social media, rise of popularism, rise of narrow nationalism and xenophobia, and finally finding the balance of power between governance and freedom.

Yudhoyono observed that there is no single explanation to the return of authoritarianism but is worried over this "setback of democracy”.

"There is clearly an attempt to swing the pendulum back towards authoritarianism. There are growing doubts about the necessity and merit of democracy. If this trend gains momentum, it is possible that we will see the reversal of democratic expansion that we have seen in recent decades,” said the former army general who ruled Indonesia from 2004 to 2014.

Yudhoyono who is still chairman of his country’s centrist Partai Demokrat also confessed that lies and fabrication have always been a part of politics, but added that "fake news” was gaining rapid currency through increased use of social media and the Internet.

He said that this is not a problem that will go away anytime soon, especially since no one has found an answer on how to deal with this problem.

To him, the spread of fake news reduces the quality of politics, democracy and trust that the public have in their leaders and in the media.

Yudhoyono also warned against the rise of popularism, citing it as a "double edged sword”.

He noted that popular leaders who are good will go the extra mile to serve their constituents while bad leaders whip up support that harms democracy and human rights.

"Trouble is: many politicians are learning that shallow populism can be a shortcut to public office. Meanwhile, leaders who say and stand for the right thing are in danger of losing office. I see this dilemma of populism as one of the most important to address in this forum.”

Yudhoyono also observed that severe economic stress in both developed and developing nations is heightening nationalism and xenophobia, which he said has the potential to induce social resentment towards outsiders, leading to a divided society, breaking social fabrics and could end in violent social conflicts.

Security concerns such as terror attacks can also be the spark negative sentiments towards certain groups or ethnicities, leading to strained relations between countries, he said.

"In an ideal situation, democracy cultivates the culture of tolerance while in return, tolerance gives air for democracy to breath. But I am afraid we are now on the brink of abnormal circumstances.

"Thus it is important for political leaders across national borders to reach out to one another and to support one another in favour of open, inclusive, moderate nationalism,” he said.

Striking the right balance between the need for an effective governance and room for freedom is critical for young democracies to progress, Yudhoyono said, adding that failure to find that balance will result in political instability.

Governments that are weak willed will not have to deliver on their promises, he said but noted that governments given too much power tend to abuse it.

He also warned that too much freedom is also not good for governance as he believes excessive freedom will create instability.

"Lord Acton once reminded us that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. From another perspective, I believe that liberty too can corrupt and absolute liberty can corrupt absolutely,” Yudhoyono said.