Against a backdrop of unfolding events in Egypt, Indonesia’s ambassador to the U.S., Dino Patti Djalal, recalled his country’s transition to democracy and the skepticism it engendered along the way. Djalal, who has worked in the Indonesian government for more than 20 years, remembered those who doubted whether his country had a democratic future as it began the transition in 2001. People would say, “It’s never going to work. Democracy is not right for Indonesia,” he told an audience at NDI. “When you hear that enough, you tend to be affected by it,” he said. “You fear the uncertainty.”
In just over a decade, Indonesia has emerged from its authoritarian legacy, witnessed the withdrawal of the military from politics, demonstrated its resilience in the face of natural disasters, developed a vibrant multiparty democracy with peaceful alternation in power, and addressed separatist conflicts, all the while prospering economically. Today, the world’s largest Muslim majority country is also the world’s third largest democracy.
“My advice to many of the countries undergoing democratic transitions is, don’t let the fear drive you,” Djalal said. “Don’t let people scare you into holding onto the past and from moving onto a different political future.”
The event at NDI coincided with a two-day roundtable hosted by the Institute that brought U.S. and transatlantic democracy experts together with counterparts from emerging powers that are democracies, including Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa.
“Don’t let people scare you into holding onto the past and from moving onto a different political future.”
- Dino Patti Djalal
Indonesia has assumed an active role in supporting democratic dialogue in Asia. As part of this effort, the government launched the Bali Democracy Forum in 2008 to promote regional cooperation and strengthen democratic institutions. The Indonesian Foreign Ministry recently created the Institute for Peace and Democracy, an independent, nonprofit organization based at Udayana University in Bali, to execute ideas, initiatives and programs that are proposed by the annual Bali Democracy Forum. Ketut Putra Erawan, executive director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, joined Djalal in delivering remarks at the event.
Indonesia still faces a number of challenges, Djalal said, including the increasing role of money in politics that has produced growing cynicism and elitism. Still, “I strongly believe that democracy in Indonesia is irreversible,” he said.
Pictured Above: Indonesia’s ambassador to the U.S., Dino Patti Djalal, speaks at an event at NDI while Paul Rowland, NDI’s senior resident director in Indonesia, moderates.
Published February 28, 2011
