Jakarta – Indonesia's transition toward democratic consolidation lacks key reforming elements required for success, said chairman of the Institute for Review of Democracy and Welfare, Fadjroel Rachman.
"It would be hard (for the country) to transform (from an authoritarian system) into a democracy because the old forces still exist," he said at a seminar on Indonesian experiences in the post-independence era.
Fadjroel said democratic consolidation would only be possible if the current regime freed itself from the New Order's legacy. This includes its values, individuals, institutions and the practice of totalitarianism.
Soeharto's New Order forces still dominate important political institutions and parties, including in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and Golkar, he said.
Golkar, the prominent political party of the Soeharto era, now makes up 18.87 percent of the 678-strong MPR and 23.7 percent of the 550-strong House of Representatives (DPR). This condition, he said, made it difficult for a smooth transition toward a more democratic system.
Fadjroel also said amendments made to the nation's constitution were not adequate. "We need a totally new democratic constitution for democratic consolidation. The amendments are not enough."
He also said that continued involvement of the old forces had worsened the performance of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which is only empowered to review cases from 1999 onward. "Thus, it releases the old regime from its responsibilities and for what it did in the past," he said.
Furthermore, the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation (KKR), which was created to investigate the New Order's past human rights violations, has been dissolved by the Constitutional Court, he said.
Fadjroel insists moves to speed democratic consolidation would prove difficult. "We have to go back to 1998," he said.
Yudi Latif, deputy rector at Paramadina University, agreed with Fadjroel, insisting Indonesia was still lacking many key democratic characteristics. He said, however, that the country had shown some improvement in its transition toward democracy.
"A settlement with the political elite has been reached which will help the democratic spirit. The political elite have shown their willingness to share the political sphere, and not dominate it solely with their groups' interests in mind, which is good for democracy," he said.
However, democracy in Indonesia is still weak because the country's achievements are still procedural in nature. A democracy requires concrete economic measures and good social welfare programs, he said.
He said the government's enforcement of political reforms was lacking, adding that the country needed more commitment to the eradication of corruption and empowerment of small-scale business. Indonesia's democracy, he said, needed more public discussion to help legitimize political decisions.
Yudi used last year's debate over Sharia-inspired bylaws as an example, insisting the movement to pass the bylaws lacked support because they had not been appropriately deliberated upon by the public.