Indonesia Democracy Essay

1347 Words6 Pages

Indonesia’s Democracy in Suharto’s Era
The word democracy comes from the words “demos” which means republic or citizen, and “kratos” which means “authority”. Democracy in general, means “government or rule by the people”. However, the democracy in Indonesia differs from other countries; Indonesia’s democracy is called Pancasila Democracy (Mengenal Sistem Demokrasi Indonesia). Pancasila Democracy is based on the five principles of national ideology, which are belief in one supreme God, justice and civility among peoples, unity of Indonesia, democracy through deliberation and consensus among representatives, and social justice for all the people of Indonesia (Soekarno’s Old Order). It is a constitutional democracy which prioritizes consensus and the authority of their citizens (Mengenal Sistem Demokrasi …show more content…

The international financial Institution, World Bank, regarded Indonesia as an “East Asian Miracle” in the early 1990s (Suharto’s New Order) and Suharto was called Bapak Pembangunan (the father of development) according to Beerkens. Tens of millions of Indonesians were rescued from poverty (Schwarz), decreasing the percentage of population classified as “poor” in Indonesia from more than 50 percent in the mid 1960s into 13.5 percent in 1993 (Suharto’s New Order). In 1996, exports reached $50 billion, which is twice the value in 1991. More and more students got enrolled and the amount of educated people increased. At this rate of economic growth, Indonesia could become the world’s sixth largest economy in 2010 (Schwarz). Social indicators such as number of educated students, infant mortality, and life expectancy showed positive results as well (Suharto’s New Order). Stability and prosperity in Indonesia provides Suharto the role of region’s elder statesman in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Open Document