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Reform era presidents all upheld democracy. President Jokowi should join the club
Through the reform era of the last two decades, our heads of state have had many chances to slam the brakes on Indonesia's democracy but didn't, and Jokowi has become the latest to join their exalted ranks.
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President Joko Widodo (third left) and First Lady Iriana Widodo (second left) pose with Vice President Jusuf Kalla (fourth right) and Second Lady Mufidah (third right) during an event on Aug. 17, 2017 to mark Indonesia’s 72nd Independence Day at the State Palace. Also pictured are former presidents Megawati Sukarno Putri (fourth left) and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (second right), as well as Yudhoyono’s wife Ani (right). (AFP/Indonesian Presidential Palace)
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emocracy is a work in progress and the chance for its survival and progress relies on the action (or inaction) of individual politicians as much as on democratic institutions and guardrails.
Indonesian democracy made progress over the past 20 years thanks to the realization of a myriad of democratic doctrines and instruments, from the separation of powers to holding regular elections as well as numerous regulations that protect free speech and a free press.
With all of the democratic infrastructure it has in place, including a regular election cycle resulting in a boisterous legislature that responds to critical voters and a vocal press, it is only natural that Indonesia’s democracy is one of the most dynamic in the region.
But institutions are only as good its people, in particular people committed to working under the established rules and regulations that keep the engine of democracy running. In the past two decades, it was the decisions made by these individuals at the top that helped drive the country’s democracy.
More often than not, these politicians were presented with the choice of undermining democracy to satisfy their short-term goals, but in the end, they decided to show, to borrow from Abraham Lincoln, the better angels of their nature.
All presidents of the reform era, from interim president B.J. Habibie to the first directly elected president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, have, at some point in their administration, had an opportunity to use undemocratic means to stay in power or score political points, but they resisted the temptation and took the high road.
As a transitional leader inheriting what was basically an authoritarian regime, Habibie could have maintained government control of the masses, yet he decided to allow measures to liberalize Indonesian politics, such as disbanding the information ministry and drafting an elections law that would allow for free competition among political parties.
