Democratization of Indonesia

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to assess the democratization process of Indonesia. The study will also analyze social, political, and economic situation of country.

Aims and Objectives

The aims and objectives of this study are:

To assess the democratization process of Indonesia

To evaluate the current democratic position of Indonesia

To evaluate social, political, and economic situation of Indonesia

Against a background of economic backwardness and poverty inherited from the previous government, the New Order government under President Suharto (1967-98) heavily relied on economic development to gain and maintain legitimacy and made it the focus of all its efforts at governance. Political development was neglected. Political stability and national unity were, of course, needed to support economic growth. But these were not achieved through democratic means but rather through authoritarian shortcuts, as the Suharto government single-mindedly pursued what it deemed as the larger agenda of economic development. To achieve national unity, political stability and national security, political restrictions were imposed and the rights of the people were curtailed. Under this military-dominated government, Indonesia had to do without checks and balances among the branches of government: we had a very powerful executive, a rubber-stamp parliament, and a judiciary subservient to the executive. Indonesia then enjoyed a high rate of economic growth (on average 7 to 8 per cent annually), which transformed it from a backward economy to a respected one, being at that time one of the so-called Asian Tigers. So long as economic growth was being achieved, no issue of legitimacy was raised against the New Order government of President Suharto. However, when Indonesia was struck by the East Asian monetary crisis of 1997-98, which brought about severe economic, social and political turmoil in Indonesia, a disillusioned and enraged population forced President Suharto to step down in May 1998 (AKSMANA, 2011, pp. 157).

Democratisation of Indonesia

Indonesia is the country that has the highest majority of Muslims in the world. The country is home to as many as 230 million people, among which 85% are Muslims. According to a study, Muslims living in Indonesia are more than the entire Arab world.

Indonesia is considered to be the largest democracy of the world after India and the United States. After the collapse of the authoritarian regime of President Suharto in 1998, visible changes were observed in the politics of Indonesia. The most visible change is in the form of a regulatory framework that directs both executive and legislative elections. In the year 2009, third legislative elections were conducted in Indonesia. The leaders of Indonesia have been elected by people of the country (PRINGLE, 2011, pp. 29). The economy continued an impressive run in 2011 despite the global economic downturn. After posting 6.1% growth in 2010, the economy was expected by most experts to grow about 6.5% in 2011. Indonesia has benefited from a variety of factors including strong domestic consumption, heavy foreign investment, and good economic policy. However, continued stagnation in Europe and the U.S. did pose risks to the economy ...