Share
Although Indonesian democratic development has progressed, there remain significant challenges. While the executive branch remains popular with the public, the public's perception of the legislative branch is persistently negative. The Regional Representative Council (DPD) has not yet defined its role and some regard the National Legislature (DPR) as ineffective. Corruption and increasing income inequality remain significant public concerns.
Political Situation
On April 9, 2009, 119 million Indonesians cast their votes in legislative elections. The largest single-day election in the world’s fourth largest democracy was not without persistent complaints of flawed voter lists, violence and frequently changing election rules. Since the end of the 31-year authoritarian rule of President Suharto, however, the country has held three national democratic elections that were widely considered transparent and well-conducted. Despite this tremendous progress, Indonesia’s electoral system continues to be in a state of transition. As progress is made, new problems emerge. Election laws passed in 2008 created new opportunities and challenges for women candidates. The 2009 legislative election also presented a particular challenge in the post-conflict environment of Aceh, where tensions remained high. Since 2004, the country has encountered serious problems, including rampant corruption, economic difficulties, separatist movements, terrorism, and a lack of government capacity.
While the executive branch remains popular with the public, the public’s perception of the legislative branch is persistently negative due to widespread corruption. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was reelected for a second term in office in July 2009. He is credited with tackling corruption, improving the economy through sometimes unpopular economic reform, and ending one of Indonesia’s longest and most violent conflicts. Despite President Yudhoyono’s efforts, Indonesia continues to face embarrassing corruption scandals involving the police, prosecutors and tax officials. Parliamentarians have also faced widespread criticism for wasteful spending practices, including excessive spending on overseas trips.
NDI Programs
NDI began work in Indonesia in 1996, first supporting domestic efforts to monitor the May 1997 parliamentary elections. Since then, NDI has conducted extensive programs involving political parties, elected officials, and civil society organizations to further assist the country’s democratic consolidation.
Election Monitoring
NDI has been assisting local civic groups to conduct independent observation of Indonesia’s local and national elections since 1999. For the 2007 Jakarta and 2006 Aceh gubernatorial elections, NDI assisted local groups to conduct a Voter Registration Audit, a systematic and timely evaluation of the quality of the voters list, and a Quick Count Observation, a statistical sample that accurately and quickly evaluates and projects election results. NDI provided training, workshops and technical assistance in these efforts, conducting similar work in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections in order to support the integrity of electoral processes.
Civil Society Strengthening
NDI has worked with civil society groups in a number of capacities. In 2001, NDI began to conduct NGO Management Certificate training programs in cooperation with the Center for Global Civil Society Studies (PACIVIS) at the University of Indonesia. Held twice a year, this introductory course for mid-level NGO managers provided the basic tools for creating independent, effective, sustainable and constituency-supported civil society organizations. The Institute has also worked with Indonesian organizations to promote citizen participation in the budget planning, allocation and oversight process of public services, such as health and education, which may contribute to the reduction of poverty. Supported by the World Bank and the Japan Social Development Fund, the Participatory Budgeting and Expenditure Tracking (PBET) Program provided local civic groups and citizens with a clear understanding of the budgetary cycle; avenues to provide input into the planning and allocation of the budget; and methods for monitoring the quality of public services.
Increasing Women's Political Participation
Since its inception, NDI has partnered with the Women’s Political Caucus of Indonesia (Kaukus Perempuan Politik Indonesia - KPPI) to strengthen women’s leadership both inside political parties and in elected public office. NDI provides on-going technical assistance to KPPI to broaden its membership base, fundraise for women candidates, expand its network of branches, strengthen its capacity to train candidates, and sharpen its advocacy for structural changes to women’s political leadership in Indonesia. KPPI was awarded NDI’s first Madeleine K. Albright award in May 2005 in recognition of its work to address structural change for women in politics.
Post-Conflict Assistance
In the post-conflict environment of Aceh, NDI worked with former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) combatants and political prisoners to assist in the transformation from armed militant groups to political or civil forces working to maintain peace. The Institute facilitated a peer-to-peer exchange process based on the experiences of former combatants and prisoners in Northern Ireland to open a dialogue about the challenges faced in post-conflict societies. NDI’s work in Aceh has been funded by both USAID and the Canadian government.
Strengthening Political Parties
Leading up to the April 2009 elections, NDI worked to strengthen the ability of political parties to compete in the political process. NDI provided comparative global expert advice and skills-building training to party leaders and instructors at national, provincial, and local levels. With the UK Labor Party, NDI held multiparty trainings in Central Sulawesi and Papua on campaign skills, strategy, and the use of technology in campaigning. NDI also worked to finalize a Code of Conduct for political parties contesting the elections in these provinces. At the national level, NDI worked with the Australian Labor Party to conduct a multi-party skills workshop on campaigns, policy, and message development; seven Training of Trainers (ToT) for women candidates on campaign skills and strategy; and two journalist trainings on reporting on quick counts and election-related surveys. NDI also conducted a ToT for Acehnese election monitoring organization E-CARD, which allowed them to complete a Sample Based Observation.
Supporting the Legislature
To increase the capacity of legislators to act on behalf of constituents, NDI has supported the Regional Representative Assembly (DPD) members’ initiative to establish better relations with their constituents through the “Rumah Aspirasi” or House of Aspirations (HoA) pilot program. Regional HoAs collected, sorted, and interpreted people’s aspirations in order to help DPD representatives make informed policy recommendations at the national level based on public demands and regional needs. At the end of the program, several HoAs secured funding from the DPD members themselves or through the regional budgets.
NDI’s current USAID-funded program focuses on strengthening the ability of members of the House of Representatives to develop, articulate, and advocate for policies that represent constituents’ concerns. To accomplish this goal, the Institute is establishing working groups to bring together expert staff from party caucuses and organizing issue-based seminars for party working groups led by NGO experts. NDI is also partnering with the Indonesian Parliamentary Center and local universities to conduct an internship program focused on integrating constituency concerns into policy processes.
Past Activities
NDI has been working in Indonesia since early 1996, when the Institute began assisting the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (Komite Independent Pemantau Pemilu, or KIPP), the country's first formal independent election monitoring organization, in its efforts to monitor the May 1997 parliamentary elections. After the fall of President Soeharto in 1998, NDI engaged with political parties and domestic election monitoring organizations in preparation for the June 1999 elections. NDI and the Carter Center organized a joint delegation of 100 observers to the June elections. NDI has also worked with DPR leaders, members, and party bloc leaders, to improve constituency outreach efforts. At the provincial and regency levels NDI has worked with legislative associations and political parties on the role of political parties in legislative governance; advocacy group and media interaction; and coalition-building and inter-party relations in the provincial and regency assemblies (DPRDs). In 2007 NDI supported the Regional Representative Assembly (DPD) members' initiative to establish better relations with their constituents through the "Rumah Aspirasi" or House of Aspirations (HoA) pilot program.
Aceh
The successful 2006 elections in Aceh, an area which had undergone 30 years of fighting and bloodshed, stood as an affirmation of the Indonesian and Acehnese commitment to peace. NDI's program in Aceh has supported peaceful, transparent, and accountable local elections through an independent voter registration audit (VRA). The program trained local, nonpartisan staff to use two complimentary techniques to check the accuracy of the voter registration list. The program verified that eligible voters were on the registered voter roll, while simultaneously verifying that those on the list were indeed eligible voters. Voter registration seminars and instructional manuals were also used to enhance public confidence. The elections were internationally recognized as free and fair. In 2007, NDI worked with former combatants to help them transition to a process of peaceful political competition. NDI engaged former combatants from Northern Ireland to assist the Acehnese in this conflict transformation process.
Funding
Funding for NDI Programs in Indonesia has been received from:
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
- National Endowment for Democracy (NED)
- Citigroup Foundation
- The World Bank
- The United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
- The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
- The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (Canada DFAIT)
- The Liz Claiborne Foundation
Contact Information
For more information about these programs, use our contact form or contact:
Indonesia
Paul Rowland, Resident Program Director
+62 21 310 7154 or paulr@ndi.org
Washington, DC
Lorri Carrozza, Senior Program Officer
(202) 728-5455
Subscribe to updates about Indonesia
