As Indonesia prepares to go to the poll for its third presidential election on July 9, it is clear that the democratic process in this emerging South-East Asian powerhouse has not only struck deep roots but is, in fact, irreversible
Indonesia, one of India’s oldest allies in south-east Asia, is preparing to elect its next President on July 9. The world’s largest archipelagic country is the third largest democracy after India and the US. There is little doubt that as the rest of the world looks up to Indonesia to throw a viable and strong leadership, its mature electorate is gearing up to show the power of democracy.
After a decade of stable governance with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, popularly known as SBY, at the helm, Indonesia now has a fairly strong democratic setup. The country made the transition after 31 years of dictatorship under Soeharto, who was ousted from office in May 1998.
The incumbent regime has pushed Indonesia to a better economic status but amid ever-increasing corruption in Government. As Indonesia grappled with the Asian economic crisis and ethnic and sectarian clashes in 1998, it saw three consecutive short term Presidents in the following years — BJ Habibie, Abdurrhaman Wahid and finally Megawati Soekarnoputri, who was defeated by SBY in 2004.
Indonesia is a constitutional democracy. The legislature is made up of two bodies with a total of 692 MPs. The 560-member House of Representatives and the 132-member Regional Representatives’ Assembly have four representatives from each of the 33 Provinces.
The Indonesian system for the selection of legislators is unlike the Indian parliamentary system. For the DPR, each Province has been divided into 10 constituencies which have three to 10 seats depending on their respective size and population.
On July 9, the voters will be choosing between two presidential candidates — Mr Joko Widodo (also known as Jokowi) and Mr Prabowo Subianto. Incumbent SBY is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.
Fifty-two-year old Jokowi, who has served as mayor of Jakarta and is now its Governor, is the most popular candidate among the youth who believe that he has a clean track record. He is perceived as a moderate political and one who is committed to the welfare of the poor.
Jokowi became popular after he was nominated for the Jakarta gubernatorial election in 2012 by his party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), led by Ms Soekarnoputri. He defeated the incumbent Governor, Mr Fauzi Bowo.
The media projects Jokowi as a strong supporter and preserver of Javanese culture. However, his lack of work experience as a politician is his greatest shortcoming. He has had only nine years of experience, seven as the Mayor and two as the Governor of Jakarta. This might make it difficult for him to lead a country which was previously handled by hardened leaders like Soekarno and Soeharto.
Jokowi’s opponent, Mr Subianto is president of the Gerindra (Great Indonesian Movement) Party which was formed in 2009. He has a mixed background of military and business. The son-in-law of former President Soeharto, he rose to a high position in the Indonesian Army.
Mr Subianto came into the spotlight internationally for his 1996 covert operations in East Timor. He played an important role in suppressing the rebellions there, which led to mnay human right abuses in that country.
In 1998, Mr Subianto was promoted to the head of the 27,000-strong Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad). A key Jakarta garrison, it supervises operational readiness among all the commands and carries out defense and security operations as per the policies of the Indonesian Army commander.
Having served in the Army at a very high position, Mr Subianto, now a successful businessman, has emerged as a shrewd politician who has succeded in bringing smaller political parties to his side. This includes the notorious radical Islamic group — the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), which has been responsible for scores of attacks against minority Ahmediya, Shias and Christians.
Indonesia, a country rich in human and natural resource, has been faced with massive unemployment problems. According to The President Post, one of the country’s leading business papers, Indonesia has the highest rate of youth unemployment rate in the Asia Pacific region.
Despite Jakarta being home to 173 large, multi-tower malls, the rural areas of Indonesia, scattered all across a thousand islands, lack basic amenities. Also, the country’s education system is very expensive. Consequently, many young students between the ages of 14 and 17 years drop out of school and seek low-paid jobs in order to support their parents.