Indonesia’s Democracy: Too Early to Make an Example from It

Papuan citizens holding the Papuan flag and claiming for their independence

The visit of President Obama to Jakarta next Thursday is making Indonesia be in the front news. The visit of the US President to the country where he spent part of his childhood is more than just an emotional courtesy visit. It is a way to reestablish the Indonesian- American relations that will make it possible for the US to counteract China’s influence in the Asia Pacific region. It is also a way to show the world, worried about the future of the countries living the "Arab Spring", the example of Indonesia as an Islamic country that made a successful transition to democracy after dictator Suharto was overthrown ten years ago.

However, even if it is true that the democratic reforms have being successfully implemented (now the media is more free, repressive laws have been wiped out, and there are elections to chose the country leader), it is too early to raise Indonesia’s case as such a perfect example of democratization. Why? Because there is a repression going on against Papuan citizens, and against Christians. They, both inhabitants of the Papua Island, claim for their independence saying that the ballot carried out by the UN in times of their decolonization from the Dutch was a sham. Now, every time they decide to protest, there is a disproportionate state reaction that has even end up killing some activists or putting some of them in jail for the rest of their lives.

I think this news shows us how intricate international issues are and how do countries relate to each other. We can also see how a relatively small country, like Indonesia can be, first of all, an important location for US interests, and at the same time how the country is being used as and example that links directly with the top topic in the last few months: the Arab Spring. I coincide with the author when he says that maybe it is too soon to consider Indonesia a perfect example of democratization when they are still acting as a non-democratic government in many cases. However, I think that looking at Islamic countries that have already taken the steps to become democracies can be a good way to approach the future of the revolutions that seem to be causing so many headaches.

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1760462