Indonesia

THE REPUBLIC OF Indonesia has had a troubled political history throughout much of its existence. As the fourth most populous country and the largest Muslim country in the world, Indonesia continues to be closely watched in the 21st century as it struggles to reassert itself as a democracy. Indonesia is made up of 17,000 islands, making it the largest archipelago in the world. Located between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, Indonesia was a prime target for imperialism in the 17th century, coming under the domination of the Netherlands. The Japanese occupied Indonesia during World War II. After the war, Indonesia declared independence in response to a growing nationalist movement. Indonesian independence was short-lived, however, for the Netherlands, aided by Great Britain, quickly reestablished its claim on the country. On December 27, 1949, Indonesia was declared officially independent. What became known as “guided democracy” was established in the 1950s, setting the stage for four decades of authoritarian rule. In 1998, amid rampant political scandal and economic collapse, a reform government began implementing changes aimed at establishing Indonesia as a true democracy. In July 2004, the country held its first direct presidential election in history. The People's Consultative Assembly had chosen the president in the past.

In 1959, Achmad Sukarno, Indonesia's newly established president, declared that he would govern under the “New Order,” which, in fact, was almost oppressive as imperialism had been. Although Sukarno was never a communist, he began secretly meeting with Indonesia's Communist Party members (PKI) and representatives from Moscow, Soviet Union, and Beijing, China, in an effort to steer to the left. On September 30, 1965, Sukarno's activities erupted in what became known as the Night of the Generals. PKI members, with the full knowledge of Sukarno and his closest allies, launched a purge of military leaders who opposed Sukarno's activities and policies. Six generals were executed, but a seventh escaped. The threat of communism in this strategic nation was a direct cause of United States involvement in Vietnam.

Response to the murders was immediate and brutal. The new Indonesian government, led by a coalition of military and Islamic leaders, chose General Suharto of the Golkar party as president. Prodded by intellectuals, academicians, and students, the government began to destroy the Communist Party by legislating it out of existence while conducting a massacre of PKI members and sympathizers. The new reform movement called for political liberty, general elections, freedom of thought and press, public meetings, and open political discussion. The Golkar party dominated Indonesian politics until Suharto's death in 1996. Despite its claim of democratic government, Suharto repeatedly tried to stamp out all resistance to his policies. For instance, when Indonesia's leading newsmagazine openly criticized the government, Suharto blocked its publication.

In November 1998, large student demonstrations resulted when outraged liberals demanded that President B. J. Habibie resign after being accused of using International Monetary Fund (IMF) monies for party purposes. Reformers created the Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR), also known as the People's Representative Assembly. Since its inception, six parties have dominated DPR. None of them has been able to form a governing coalition, which makes it difficult to institute much-needed reforms.

...