I should be proud of my country, Indonesia, as a Southeast Asian country that is advancing its democracy progressively, despite its economy trailing behind other more developed countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Yes, while it is true the elite and ordinary people sometimes display craziness that exasperates us, and rampant corruption is still an obstacle embarrassing us as a nation, in terms of democracy, Indonesia is more mature.

This we should defend at any cost.

I remember when I visited Kuala Lumpur two years ago, my guide (who was a native Malaysian) told me he was amazed by Indonesia's democracy and press freedom, and in particular by how Indonesians were brave enough to open the gates of democracy while many people living in the country were still struggling against poverty.

In other words, other countries are surprised to see how Indonesians were determined to hurry in a wind of change after Soeharto's dictatorship collapsed in 1998. He admitted his government was not as brave as Indonesia's. In terms of press freedom, he said his government had no choice but to control the press as the fourth pillar of democracy.

One of indicators proving democracy in Indonesia has grown and worked is the fact that campaigns ran relatively smoothly and peacefully, and people could choose their representatives and leaders freely at the three general elections during the reformation era, 1999, 2004 and 2009.

The most historic event that shows Indonesia is leading the countries mentioned above is the direct presidential election conducted in 2004.

The decline of the military's dominance after Suharto stepped down in 1998 is another leap for our democracy. Military and police institutions are no longer involved in Indonesian politics since civilian rule has been promoted.

The way the government runs the country is more transparent as many watchdog organizations have been established to monitor authority.

According to a World Audit (an international not-for-profit organization that provides a truly global geopolitical perspective on democracy, political rights, civil liberties, press freedom, human rights and corruption) report released in October 2008, Indonesia's democracy scored 70 - the range goes from 1 to 150, with lower scores preferable - far better than Philippines (88), Thailand (86), Malaysia (82) and Singapore (74).

Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar had the worse scores, with 126, 141 and 150 respectively.

The report confirmed that Indonesia, the country with the world's largest Muslim population, has done a quantum leap in establishing democracy within the last 10 years.

It also refutes the theory that democracy can only be established in developed countries where people are free from poverty and well educated.

In term of press freedom, Indonesia leads the pack with a score of 86, ahead of Malaysia and Singapore that scored in 104 and 111 respectively.

The press has grown even stronger with the implementation of tools to control government officials as well as lawmakers in the House of Representatives, which have dragged many elite figures to jail on corruption-related charges.

We experienced our second direct presidential election. As many as 170 million eligible voters enthusiastically exercised their right to vote for their preferred pair of candidates. It is a beautiful day for Indonesian people because our right to choose whomever we wish to become our next president/vice president has been guaranteed.

It is not a simple thing to organize elections considering our geographic situation - a huge area separated into thousands of islands - and the various education backgrounds and social/economic status of Indonesian people across the country. However, we have proved we could do it today!

We should celebrate not who might be the winner, but our growing democracy that makes us a great nation where mature people live proudly.

Titus Jonathan

Serpong, Banten

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