RI stuck at home with domestic crises: UIN<\/p>\n
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Although it is emerging as the world's largest Muslim democracy,
\nthe country still has a long way to go until it plays a greater
\nrole in the Muslim world and other international affairs due to
\nlingering domestic problems, say analysts.<\/p>\n
Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) rector
\nAzyumardi Azra said on Wednesday that hopes for Indonesia to set
\nan example for other Muslim countries in modernizing their
\npolitical systems would be hard to fulfill.<\/p>\n
"This is not only because Indonesia continues to adopt a
\npolicy of ambiguity, but also because Muslim Arab countries tend
\nto underestimate the importance of Indonesian Islam and the
\ncountry's huge population.<\/p>\n
"Indonesian Islam is not considered 'real Islam' as opposed to
\nMiddle Eastern Islam, and Indonesian Muslims are regarded as 'not
\nIslamic' enough," he told an international seminar on Islam and
\ndemocracy held by the UIN's Center for Languages and Cultures
\n(PBB).<\/p>\n
Azyumardi said the country's success in consolidating
\ndemocracy through the peaceful general elections this year should
\nencourage it to be more active in being a model for the
\ncompatibility of Islam and democracy.<\/p>\n
"But again, it seems this hope will be very difficult to
\nrealize for the same reasons," he added.<\/p>\n
He said Indonesia could return to a prominent role in
\ninternational diplomacy, as it had in the past, if it managed to
\nresolve its internal crises.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Kusnanto Anggoro of the Centre for Strategic and
\nInternational Studies (CSIS) said Indonesia's success in putting
\nan end to domestic problems would determine its significance in
\nworld affairs.<\/p>\n
"Islam is not the determining factor in this matter, but how
\nwe resolve our internal affairs will strengthen our international
\nrole," Kusnanto told the two-day seminar that ended on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is widely perceived to be a secular, instead of an
\nIslamic, nation, even though most of its 220 million-strong
\npopulation are Muslims, he argued.<\/p>\n
"So domestic politics is very important in strengthening
\ninternational relations," Kusnanto said.<\/p>\n
Azyumardi said Indonesia had been "the sleeping giant" of
\nSoutheast Asia for the past six years.<\/p>\n
"This is not because Indonesia has adopted a low-profile
\ndiplomacy at the international level, but mostly because it has
\nlost its elan," he said. "This, of course, is due mainly to the
\ninternal crises Indonesia has been facing since Soeharto's fall."<\/p>\n
During the economic crisis, the government was forced to
\ndownsize its overseas diplomatic staff for the sake of
\nefficiency. Ironically, this arguably affected the effectiveness
\nof its embassies worldwide in their diplomatic duties, Azyumardi
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
"More importantly, however, domestic uncertainties and
\nnational instability have been mainly responsible for our
\ndecreasing role in international diplomacy," he added.<\/p>\n
Soeharto's 32-year authoritarian rule was followed by a
\ntransition into the reform era, during which the country's
\npolitical stability was put at high risk under the three
\nsuccessive presidents: BJ Habibie, Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid
\nand Megawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
These last three presidents focused on efforts to overcome
\nserious domestic problems that had been blamed on bickering among
\nthe political elite.<\/p>\n
The political quarrel peaked in 2001, when Gus Dur was
\nimpeached by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) for
\nincompetence.<\/p>\n
The present government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
\nwho was directly elected to the post in September, also faces
\npolitical risk in the opposition camp in the House of
\nRepresentatives formed by the Golkar Party and the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the two largest parties in
\nthe country.<\/p>\n
Azyumardi said Gus Dur once tried to revive Indonesia's role
\nin international diplomacy by making official visits to various
\ncountries, but added that the frequent overseas trips seemed not
\nto produce the desired results.<\/p>\n
As with Habibie and Megawati, Gus Dur apparently had no clear
\nforeign policy, the UIN rector argued.<\/p>\n
However, Kusnanto said he believed Susilo would be able to
\nstrengthen Indonesia's foreign role, as he is more "articulate"
\nin communicating his policies than his predecessor Megawati, who
\npromoted "silent diplomacy".<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-stuck-at-home-with-domestic-crises-uin-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}