Post-colonial Indonesia had never experienced democratic rule until its strongman leader General Suharto stepped down in 1998 following mounting social unrest which threatened to topple his dictatorial regime. Since democracy was installed Indonesia has had four presidents, although current leader Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (commonly known by his initials SBY) who was elected for a second term in 2009 is the country's first directly-elected leader. Although Indonesia's fledgling democracy is popular with citizens it lags far behind most of Asia's other democracies when indicators such as the strength of the rule of law are examined.
Indonesia from 1945 - 1998
When Japan's wartime occupation of Indonesia was ended in 1945 General Sukarno proclaimed independence from Holland, becoming the first native leader of a fully-unified Indonesian nation. The Dutch, similarly to Great Britain and France elsewhere in the region, initially attempted to reclaim their former colony. Troops were sent in and an armed struggle involving Dutch forces and various local armed factions ensued - during the course of which Sukarno was captured - until a ceasefire was declared in 1949.
General Sukarno presided over what he referred to as a 'guided democracy' until he was ousted by Suharto in 1967, following a long period of social and political unrest aimed at fatally undermining his presidency. Suharto established an autocratic and avowedly anti-Communist regime known as the New Order, which attracted political and economic support from Western governments during the Cold War. Following the almost total defeat of Communism, Indonesia was no longer an asset to the West and was instead regarded as a pariah state as a new wave of democracies spread across the globe.
After thirty-two years of rule General Suharto abdicated in 1998 when faced with an increasing number of popular protests against his brutal regime, although his failing health in the years up until his death in 2008 enabled him to escape several attempts to indict him on charges of corruption and genocide.
Indonesia's Transition to Democracy
Between 1998 and 2003 Indonesia underwent the slow transition to democracy however, contrary to countries where a popular uprising has led to the natural formation of political parties and a 'grass-roots' democracy taking shape, democracy in Indonesia was imposed from the top down by its political elite. This imposition of democracy by the ruling elite, although it was welcomed at the time by citizens and is still thought of favourably despite an increase in the number of Indonesians nostalgic for the security of the Suharto era.
In 2004, Indonesia's first direct presidential elections brought former army general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to power and he has since sought to cement and strengthen democracy in the country. Mr. Yudhoyono has been generally popular and won a second term in office in 2009, although a sharp fall in voter participation suggests increasing apathy towards the government from Indonesians.
Indicators of the Strength of Democracy in Indonesia
Voter turnout, although indicative of a certain level of apathy towards a country's government or political system, cannot be taken as a reliable indicator of the strength and level of consolidation of democracy in Indonesia. The World Bank uses a variety of indicators to rate the democratic strength of all nations, and, beginning from the inception of its democracy in 1998, Indonesia has improved markedly in areas such as anti-corruption measures, the guarantee of personal freedoms and the regime's own accountability but only because it began from such a low level; it still ranks below most other East Asian democracies.
Most tellingly, Indonesia ranks below all other Asian democracies in terms of the strength of the rule of law, indicating that democracy in the country is both shallow and poorly-consolidated compared to its neighbours. Under President Yudhoyono Indonesia has continued to gradually improve in all aspects of the World Bank's democratic indicators, and his second term will therefore be closely watched for indications that the fledgling democracy is becoming more firmly entrenched in all levels of Indonesian society.
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