Democratisation in Indonesia

From Transition to Consolidation

Bibliographic Data

ID6233849
AuthorsLouay Abdulbaki (corresponding author)
Year2008
Volume16
Issue2
Pages151-172
Publication date2008-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAsian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0218-5377 • E-ISSN: 1750-7812
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02185370802204099
OpenAlexW1994385444
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited43

Despite many pessimistic expectations, the democratisation process in Indonesia has been progressing steadily over the past decade. The Indonesian political elite has crafted and stabilised a political transition mainly characterised by frequent, free and fair elections, peaceful rotations of power, effective elected officials and separation of powers, inclusive suffrage, freedom of expression, independence of the media and associational autonomy. In other words, within one decade, Indonesia has developed the main attributes of a democratic country, according to most theories of procedural democracy. However, the extent to which Indonesian democracy has been consolidated and institutionalised is another issue, which requires close examination and assessment. Does the Indonesian democracy fulfil or approximate the criteria stipulated by theorists of democratic consolidation? This article investigates the extent to which Indonesia has managed to advance its democratic transition and evaluates the prospects and challenges of democratic consolidation. In general, the article asserts that despite the persistence of a number of shortcomings, the steady progress of the Indonesian democratisation process and the consistent commitment of the principal political actors to the democratic rules of the game will likely lead to more institutionalised, policy-driven party politics and a gradual democratic consolidation in the foreseeable future. Keywords: IndonesiaDemocratisationDemocratic ConsolidationPolitical Reform Notes 1. In this context, Dahl uses the term ‘polyarchy’ as an alternative to democracy to protest that ‘no large system in the real world is fully democratized’ (1971: 8). 2. The amendments include the First Amendment of 19 October 1999, the Second Amendment of 18 August 2000, the Third Amendment of 9 November 2001 and the Fourth Amendment of 11 August 2002 (for the full text see, MPR [2002]). 3. Suharto's family members who were ousted from their seats in the MPR included his eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana; younger daughter, Titiek Prabowo; sons Hutomo Mandala Putra and Bambang Trihatmodjo; daughter-in-law Halimah Bambang Tri; half-brother Probosutedjo and cousin Sudwikatmono. According to the then Golkar's Deputy Chairman, Irsyad Sudiro, the action represented a ‘political commitment to take steps in purging Golkar of corruption, collusion and nepotism’ (Asiaweek, 1998 Asiaweek . 1998 . ‘Suharto's Family Members Ousted by Indonesia's Ruling Party’ , August 7. Available at: http://www-cgi.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/98/0807/feat6.html. [Google Scholar]). 4. Pancasila refers to the five principles that constitute the national ideology adopted in the constitution. They include: kebangsaan (nationalism), peri-kemanusiaan (humanism), mufakat (deliberative democracy), kesejahteraan sosial (social justice) and ketuhanan (belief in God). Additional informationNotes on contributorsLouay AbdulbakiLouay Abdulbaki, PhD, is affiliated with the Asia Institute, University of Melbourne

Consolidation (business · Democracy · Democratic consolidation · Democratization · Economics · Elite · Indonesian · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Universal suffrage · Asian Studies and History · Indonesian Election Politics and Participation · Law · Public Administration · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies

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