Indonesian democracy challenged by local customs

An Acehnese girl is caned after being found guilty of kissing in public, a serious violation under Sharia law. The punishment was carried out in front of the Al-Munawarrah Mosque in Jantho City, on the outskirts of Banda Aceh. (Photo : Nurdin Hasan/Khabar)

Indonesia is a vast tropical country of sprawling archipelago with extremely diverse cultures and a demographic make-up of over 300 ethnic groups, and more than 700 living languages spoken. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world and also has a significant Christian Protestant and Catholic population. Hindus mostly inhabit the island of Bali, and Buddhists are mostly Chinese Indonesians. In some remote areas, tribal animism still survives.

The culture of Indonesia has been shaped by the long interaction between original indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is centrally-located along the ancient trading routes between the Far East, South Asia and the Middle East, resulting in many cultural practices being strongly influenced by a multitude of religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Islam and Christianity, all strong in the major trading cities. The result is a complex cultural mixture very different from the original indigenous cultures.

Most Indonesians uphold harmony, so direct confrontation is best avoided. Yet, today in the relatively new atmosphere of democracy, expressing disagreement, demonstrating, and openly arguing in debates are becoming more acceptable in public. However, if it done in a too harsh or excessively rude manner, it might draw public condemnation.

The policy of decentralization

After the fall of Suharto in May 1998, some significant changes in the Indonesian political and administrative system have taken place. One of them is the shift of policy from a highly centralized system of administration, which had been instrumental in supporting national development for more than thirty years, to a decentralized one.

As the aim of the decentralization policy and the implementation of local autonomy has in fact brought the governments closer to their constituents, the implication is that the government services can be delivered more effectively and efficiently. This is based on the fact that district and municipal governments have a better understanding of the needs and aspirations of their communities than the central government.

Despite strong support for decentralization, it is not surprising that many observers still regard the new policy as a threat. The big question remains whether both local governments and the broader community are able to manage the excessive responsibility and funds, which have been passed on by the central government.

Indonesia’s system of direct local elections remains relatively young and in flux. Since its introduction in 2005, a number of changes at the national level have broadly sought to strengthen the role of elections commissions in administering elections; results have been mixed. The system remains under review with some in government even pushing to roll back direct local polls. A practice of voting by consensus, customary in some areas of the Papuan highlands, is one anomaly that deserves greater attention.

Known colloquially as the noken system after the traditional bag made from bark that highlanders carry, its application varies and it is not carried out in accordance with either national or provincial electoral regulations. Noken involves the divvying up of votes at the village level by community members through consensus.

A case brought to Indonesia’s Constitutional Court by a losing pair of candidates in the recent report, Indonesia: Dynamics of Violence in Papua, showed the absence of strong government in Papua, the country’s most violent province. There is much frustration among Papuans about the failure of the 2001 special autonomy law, which many had hoped would strengthen their role in local decision making. But in the absence of a coordinated strategy or good faith effort by either Jakarta or provincial lawmakers in Jayapura to strengthen special autonomy, the cause has provided cover for a number of self-interested ploys by local politicians.

Indonesian flag-raising squads give salute to a national flag during a celebration of the country's 68th independence anniversary at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 17, 2013. (Photo : Xinhua/NEWSis)

Regulating all aspects of life

Noken looks likely to be used in large parts of the highlands in the upcoming gubernatorial elections. While it may be too late to draft and approve specific regulations on how to accommodate this form of voting in time for the polls, stepping up voter education efforts should be a priority for the provincial KPU, with guidelines on minimum standards for polling station records.

In Aceh, an Indonesia province on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, people’s behavior is vigorously punished by Islamic law. For their crime, called khalwat, an unmarried man and woman risk nine lashes with a stick. If the religious police surprise one of these couples in flagrante, officers will demand the offenders to get married on the spot.

Last year, Islamic tribunals sentenced 500 people, the majority for inappropriate contact between unmarried men and women. Among them was a married woman named Amel, who was suspected of having too-close relations with a man in the village. The villagers contacted the Sharia police, and the two offenders were flogged in a public square in front of the village mosque.

Sharia law also forbids women from singing and dancing, which are judged to be overly amorous. “Sharia is very difficult for women to adhere to as it applies to all areas of life: clothing, behavior in public, a way of being around men, and a curfew at night,” says Donna, the director of the Solidaritas Perempuan Association. A believer as well as a fervent feminist, Donna does not wear the obligatory veil despite numerous arrests and reprimands.

Democracy in Indonesia is still maturing, and that the process has been made more challenging by the diversity of the country’s population. The evolution of the political process after reformation in Indonesia has been long and complicated.

In Indonesia, elections and the change of leadership are conducted regularly, democratically and peacefully. Views and aspirations of the majority need to be accepted, but without ignoring the voices of minority groups or people with different identities.

We all communicate with others all the time: in our homes, workplaces, groups we belong to, and in the community. No matter how well we think we understand each other, communication is hard. “Culture” is often at the root of communication challenges. Our cultures influence how we approach problems, and how we participate in groups and in communities.