Essay On Indonesia Democracy

Indonesia’s Democracy Period

Our country, Indonesia, had been through a lot of history. Histories like the times where the citizens still suffer during the attack of the Netherlands and Japan. Times when we finally succeeded in proclaiming our independence, times when we struggle to be a democratic country, and a lot more. Even though most people known Indonesia as a democratic country, Indonesia’s democracy had gone through a lot of changes since the day when we proclaimed our independence. Indonesia has gone through three types of democracy, which are liberal democracy, guided democracy, and the new order. However, it all failed (Bhakti 196). Indonesia finally proclaimed their Independence on the 17th August 1945. On the year of 1950, Indonesia entered a phase of liberal democracy and elected their first president on 14th August 1950. On this period of democracy, there were only two parties available, the PNI,

There is a great diversity between the Liberal democracy and Guided democracy. Guided democracy focused on their primary goal, which is “a just and prosperous country” just so that they could fulfill a “systematic and planned democracy” (Bhakti 198). This democracy period was implemented in Indonesia for six years, from the year of 1959 to 1965. But on the year of 1965, this systematic and planned democracy seems to fail in achieving a healthy economic system. In 1965, economics in Indonesia was horrible. Production started to slow down drastically and imports and exports came to rest. It was then followed by the conflict for power between the army and the communist party in Indonesia also the case of the seven generals that was murdered by the communist party during Sukarno’s era. This case of murder had capped the political and economic chaos and brought President Sukarno and his guided democracy down on the 11th March of