Indonesia History
Indonesia History
Indonesia History
INDONESIA
(Military rule to Democracy Stability)
1. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world (255.4 million people per a 2015
estimate) and the fastest growing population according to WHO.
2. 3 of 10 biggest Island in the world located in Indonesia which is consist with Sumatra (being
the 6th), Borneo (being the third) and Papua (being the second)
3. Indonesia is home of the largest Chinese population in the world consisted with Hakka
Chinese, Han Chinese, Wu Chinese etc. although minority, the race has been control the
country’s economic aspect untill now.
4. Indonesia is the only nation with no language legacy from its colonialist (Indonesian never
know how to speak Dutch, Japanese, Portuguese)
5. Indonesia contains the largest Muslim population of all countries in the world. The current
number of Muslim inhabitants is estimated to be around 207 million individuals, most of whom
adhere to Sunni Islam. Islamic principles do play an important role in the nation's political
decision making, but Indonesia is not a Muslim or Islamic state.
History of Indonesia
Hindu-
Buddhist Portuguese British Japanese Soekarno’s Reformation
Civilizations Occupation Occupation Occupation Presidency Era
Hindu-Buddhist Civilizations
In the 7th century, the powerful Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya arose on Sumatra. It
controlled much of Indonesia until 1290 when it was conquered by the Hindu Majapahit Empire
from Java. Majapahit (1290-1527) united most of modern-day Indonesia and Malaysia. Although
large in size, Majapahit was more interested in controlling trade routes than in territorial gains.
The Hindu-Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya was the first major Indonesian commercial sea power
able to control much of the trade in Southeast Asia by virtue of being located on the Strait of
Melaka. Merchants from Arabia, Persia and India brought goods to Srivijaya’s coastal cities in
exchange for goods from China and local products.
At the end of the 10th century, the Hindu-Buddhist kingdom declined. The centre of power
shifted from Central to East Java and it was a period when Hinduism and Buddhism were
syncretized and when Javanese culture began to come into its own.
Colonial Era
Portuguese Occupation
The Portuguese entered Indonesia in 1511 searching for spices and to spread the ideas of
Christianity. The Portuguese had a strong military force during their reign that allowed them to
build various trading posts in some other areas of the nation. Their other skills included navigation
which allowed them to take charge of the sea and expand Indonesia even further. One of the first
areas that were explored by the Portuguese was Malacca. The Portuguese coming to Indonesia did
not really have an effect on or help the Indonesian culture and way of life. The main influences
that the Portuguese had on the Indonesians were negative. They completely upset the Indonesian
trade route by taking over all of the most important trading ports. They also succeeded slightly in
their quest to spread their religion of Christianity. This is due to the fact that you see this religion
in some parts of Indonesia even still today. Shortly after arriving, the Portuguese made an attempt
in the early 1600s to take control of Indonesia's spice trade industry. The Portuguese eventually
lost control in this specific area and the power was taken from them by the Dutch. Then the Dutch
took over Indonesia completely.
British Occupation
During the Napoleonic wars in Europe when Holland was occupied by France, Indonesia
fell under the rule of the British East India Company. In those days slaves were captured and traded
by foreigners. The land-tenure system, replacing the hated Dutch forced-agricultural system,
whereby crops were grown and surrendered to the Government. When Napoleon fell from power
and the French left Holland, the Dutch and the British signed The Treaty of London in London
1824. This treaty stated that all colonies that belonged to the Dutch from 1801 be returned to the
Dutch Administrators. Therefore Indonesia was given by the British back to the Dutch.
Japanese Occupation
During World War II (1942-1945) the Japanese occupied Indonesia. Just like Indonesia's
previous colonists, the Portuguese and Dutch, the Japanese wanted the natural resources and a
perfect trading location. When the Japanese occupied Indonesia they destroyed the idea that the
Dutch were superior. The Dutch gave little resistance when the Japanese controlled their former
centers of power. Indonesians gladly accepted the Japanese because they felt that after three
centuries of western occupation and colonization they needed a dose of new Japanese ideas. The
time of Japanese controlled Indonesia brought a great movement for self-defense for the first time
in Indonesian history. Although World War II brought great hardship and hunger to Indonesia
under the Japanese’s cruel rule while occupying it, the Japanese also inspired something much
more important - nationalistic ideas. Shortly after Japan’s surrender in World War II, Indonesia
declared itself an independent country. Even though the Dutch retook control of Indonesia,
Indonesian nationalist groups began to form and Indonesians resented the Dutch’s imperialism due
to the ideas inspired by the Japanese.
Independence in Indonesia
After World War II and after almost 400 years of colonization the Indonesians felt they
were ready to govern themselves and refused to remain under Dutch rule. Indonesia declared itself
an independent country in 1945, under the leadership of the self-appointed President Sukarno.
However, it would not be as simple as stating independence. The Dutch felt that Indonesians were
able to govern themselves and retook control of the island colonies of Indonesia. The Dutch
mounted a large offensive in July 1947, causing the UN to step in. After four years of unrest,
political meetings and negotiations, and losing the support of the United Nations, the Dutch were
finally forced to acknowledge Indonesia as an independent country on December 27th, 1949. In
the first years of independence, the threat of external attacks by the Dutch helped keep the
nationalists united. The founding fathers of Indonesia’s Indonesia’ independence agreed on
Pancasila as the state philosophy. Pancasila: 1) Belief in the One and Only God 2) Just and
Civilized Humanity; 3) The Unity of Indonesia; 4) Democracy; 5) Social Justice.
The military’s attitude to this early period of post-independence politics was very much
governed by its role in the independence struggle. ABRI (Armed Forces of Indonesia) considers
itself the progenitor of the state, having fought a war of independence against the Dutch from
1945-1949. The history of the Indonesian struggle has been a series of armed resistance put up by
the people against colonialism. As such ABRI projects itself as the guardian of the nation.
Sukarno’s Presidency
After their 1955 elections, the results laid bare potentially divisive forces in the infant
republic. The country was already afflicted by regional rebellions and the army grew restless,
forcing Sukarno to step in with an alternative to constitutional democracy in the form of ‘guided
democracy’. The powers were given to the Indonesian Communist Party, the Indonesian Army,
and President Sukarno, himself. Under this guided democracy, the PKI and its affiliated mass
organizations, with Suharto’s backing, vastly expanded their membership and influence. The
growth of PKI power alarmed other forces in Indonesian society, particularly the Muslim
community, but only the army had the power, cohesiveness, and discipline to block what appeared
to be the PKI’s inexorable march to power.
Sukarno was President of Indonesia from August 17th, 1945 (after the Japanese left and
before the Dutch retook control) to March 12th, 1967. Sukarno fell from power when he became
ill and he denied medical the treatment for a mild stroke. Sukarno's cabinet saw him as inadequate
for the job and performed a coop and removed him from power. That delicate balance of power
between the military and the PKI was destroyed when six of the most senior members of the
general staff were assassinated on the evening of September 30, 1965, in a failed coup led by junior
officers under the leadership of the commander of the presidential guard. The destruction of the
PKI left the military as the unchallenged arbiter of Indonesian politics, with Major General
Suharto, commander of the strategic reserve and the chief organizer of the opposition to the coup,
sitting uneasily at the top of the power structure.
Reformation Era
When President Suharto left office in May 1998 it marked the beginning of a new period
in Indonesian history. After being ruled by Suharto's authoritarian New Order regime for over
three decades, Indonesia embarked for a new phase called Reformation (Reformasi in Indonesian).
It was envisaged to be the starting period of a democracy with open and liberal politics in which
extensive autonomy would be transferred to the regions, away from the center (decentralization).
The basis of this transition was formulated in a law which passed parliament in 1999 and called
for the transfer of administrative powers from the central government to the regional districts.
Consolidating Democracy
In the post-transition period the Indonesian polity has to grapple with two key issues in
consolidating its nascent democracy: how best to strengthen the political culture, deepen
democracy, and enhance political institutionalization and how to improve the performance of the
newly established democratic regime.
The ending of the military’s dual function (or dwi-fungsi) and the establishment of civilian
supremacy over the military. Throughout the New Order period, the military had a social-political
function, as well as a defence and security function. With dwi-fungsi, the military was omnipresent
in Indonesian public life. It dominated the executive, had large numbers of seats in the legislature,
and was involved in business. The police force was regarded as a junior branch of the military,
with the military ultimately responsible for internal security. With Indonesia’s transition to
democracy, the military was gradually phased out of politics and business. Active military
personnel are now banned from taking public office, and if they wish to run for an elected position,
officers must resign first. By the 2004 general elections, all members of the legislature had to be
elected, the military would no longer enjoy reserved seats in the legislature. Besides being removed
from politics, the military was also separated from the police. The military is now primarily
responsible for national defence, while internal security is the domain of the police. The military
can be called to assist the police, but that call has to be made by the government, rather than at the
discretion of military commanders. Although there is still some way to go before the military
becomes a truly professional force and effective civilian oversight is achieved, it is now quite
inconceivable that the military would resume political power in Indonesia.
All political offices are elected through general elections. The clear separation of power
between the executive, legislative and judicial arms of the state, ending the domination of the
executive. While the Indonesian presidential system allows for a powerful executive, the
legislative branch has become equally powerful, and is not just a rubber stamp, like in the Soeharto
years. The judiciary is completely independent and the Constitutional Court enables the public to
challenge laws that they regard as problematic. But with the strong system of checks and balances
now in place, decision-making has become more difficult and time consuming. The political
process has been made even more complicated by the unwieldy multi-party system in which no
party has obtained a clear majority. This has resulted in a presidential system with semi-
parliamentary characteristics, manifest in a broad-based coalition cabinet, with the president and
vice president elected by popular vote. This is a radical departure from the New Order period.
Decentralization in Indonesia, one of the challenges facing Indonesia is keeping the country
united. The threat of separation has always plagued the country since the first days of
independence. One of the main grievance is income and regional disparity. It is a complex problem
and would take time and effort to resolve, but at the heart of the problem was the overly centralized
government structure and decision making process. Devolvement of central authority should be
the first step towards addressing the problem. Therefore decentralization constitutes one of the
most important aspect of reformation in Indonesia. Decentralization enhances the efficacy, quality
and efficacy legitimacy of democracy; hence decentralization is a necessity for democracy. It is
even more so for large and particularly large multiethnic and multicultural countries such as
multicultural Indonesia. Indonesia as decentralization will close the distance between the citizens,
the stakeholder, and the power and the process of policy making. Decentralization is not merely
political expedience to deal with rebellious regions, it has more basic value to democracy and
democratic consolidation. Thus consolidation decentralization enhances the legitimacy and hence
stability of democracy. With regional autonomy, the central government only has full authority
over seven areas: foreign policy, defence, security, justice, religion, monetary and fiscal policies.
Power has not only been divided horizontally between the different branches of government, but
also vertically, between the central, provincial and district administrations.
In Indonesia’s Civil Society, the existence of such a civil society is particularly important
to Indonesia at the present stage of democratic consolidation, as clean open consolidation clean,
open, transparent and accountable governance has yet to be established. The country needs an
active, informed, selflessly motivated civil society to strengthen the institutions of governance for
checking, monitoring and governance, checking restraining the exercise of power of the state, its
institutions and office holders and holding them accountable to the law and public expectations of
responsible government. Indonesia has a lively press, one of the freest in Asia. Civil society
organisations are active in community development, advocacy and policy research. Labour unions
are many and vocal. Public debates and at times unruly demonstrations have become common
features of Indonesia’s political life. Indonesians are also avid users of social media and have a
penchant for airing their views in public.