The difficult journey of democratization in Indonesia

• Main Author: Eby Hara, Abubakar
• Format: Article
• Published: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies 2001
• Subjects: JQ Political institutions Asia
• Online Access: http://repo.uum.edu.my/12560/; http://dx.doi.org/10.1355/CS23-2G
• Institution: Universiti Utara Malaysia

Based on the current literature on democratization, democracy in Indonesia is not yet consolidated.The masses and elites need to learn to adjust their political practices and institutions to modern liberal political behaviour.This article argues that democratization may be more fruitful if seen from an Indonesian context.In Indonesia's political history, Western ideas of liberalization and freedom, and local political ideas, such as the New Orders Pancasila democracy, religious and traditional attitudes, and mass movements, inspire many of the political practices in post-Soeharto politics.It is through exchanges of those ideas, political practices, and institutional experiences that new social agreements on the future form of democracy in Indonesia will emerge.