Where is Indonesia on the world map? Do we Indonesians realize that we are actually far better than we often perceive ourselves? The London Summit, where 20 of the largest economies gather in London today, is a nice and timely reminder for this nation that the international community recognizes that we deserve a better place on the world stage, amid the skeptical view among many Indonesians who do not believe we deserve a place at the G20 Summit.
After the severe economic crisis that forced the fall of Soeharto in May 1998, there is a growing public perception in this country that, at least in terms of the economy,
our country is just a mediocre state, while there are also growing doubts over our choice of democracy. Many of us believe that our economy has continued to worsen in the last 11 years while other countries perform better than us and that our democracy is too costly and gives too little in return.
Foreigners often feel surprised why we Indonesians tend to downgrade ourselves and the country, while the international community, including the media, perceive us much more positively for our ability to transform ourselves to become the world’s largest democracy after India and the United States.
As the world’s most predominantly Muslim nation, Indonesia is internationally recognized – at least so far – as a model for democratic Islam, where democracy and Islam can complement each other.
But the fact that Indonesia is invited to attend the G20 Summit in London, where the leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies gather today to find strategies to fight the global financial disaster, is strong evidence that the world indeed appreciates Indonesia, perhaps beyond our own expectations.
Even our leader, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was initially hesitant to come to London, because for him the priority now is how to make sure that his party, the Democratic Party (PD), wins the April 9 legislative elections, which will smooth the way for his next step, to win the July presidential election.
Although he will not attend the whole Summit session, because he still wants to campaign at home, his presence there as the Indonesian head of state is strong evidence that Indonesia’s political and economic achievements in the last 11 years have won international applause, although we are still very far from our ultimate goal.
It is true the London Summit will not be able to produce concrete measures to heal the world’s dying economy, because the problems are so fundamental they may take several years to resolve. The G20 itself is an informal forum where important industrialized and developing economies promote open discussions on key issues related to global economic stability.
We totally agree with the remarks of French President Nicolas Sarkozy who wrote in an article which appeared in several international newspapers Wednesday, “I am certain, however, of the need to achieve practical results this Thursday in London. Failure is not an option; the world would not understand it and history would not forgive us for it.” But our membership of the G20 club itself has been an honor we should preserve.
