Democratization developing fast enough: Expert

Democratization developing fast enough: Expert

JAKARTA (JP): Political scientist Amir Santoso maintains that
the democratization process in Indonesia is moving at a healthy
pace, despite the country's relatively small middle class.

He argued that compared to the 1970s, the pace of
democratization is far swifter in the 1990s, thanks in no small
part to the active participation of the middle class and pro-
democracy movements.

"There can be no democracy without a middle class, and the
move towards democratization has been accelerating in recent
years," said the lecturer of the University of Indonesia's School
of Social and Political Sciences.

Amir was commenting on remarks made by Professor Ingrid Wessel
of Germany who said that the pace of democratization in Indonesia
was progressing at a languid pace.

In an interview with Antara in Berlin last week, the dean of
Southeast Asian studies at Humboldt University, said that the
demands for democratization is moving slowly due to the thin
ranks of an established middle class.

The pro-democracy movement in Indonesia is limited to a small
group in the middle class and has hardly touched those in the
lower class, she said.

The middle class is widely considered in academic circles as
the catalyst for progress, change and democracy.

Amir rejected Professor Wessel's view, saying that despite its
size, the middle class in Indonesia continues to play a
substantial role.

"This is proven by the increasing trend towards political
openness, press freedom, freedom of discussion and seminars,"
said Amir who is also director of the Institute for International
and Strategic Analysis.

He noted that the freedom allowed now would have been
"unimaginable" in the 1960s or 1970s.

He maintained that the relative size of Indonesia's middle
class is not indicative of the pace of change evolving in the
country.

The Indonesian middle class is on the rise, according to Amir.

This is indicative in the growing number of intellectuals who
are extremely rational, democratic, slightly secularist, with a
high awareness of human rights, environmental concerns and the
rule of law, he argued.

"With the ascendancy of bourgeois figures, democracy is
blossoming," said Amir, while pointing to the political
contributions by this class in Taiwan and Thailand as examples.

Despite this fact, he did acknowledge the need for
bureaucratic involvement to further accelerate the process.

He added that the role of the political elite is another
necessary element.

"It is not enough for the democratization process to be
propelled by the middle class alone, without the vital help of
the state," he said.

Apart from commenting on the sluggish pace of democratization,
Professor Wessel also pointed out that the intellectual community
in Indonesia is divided into two schools of thought.

The first group is demanding a democracy which embraces
changes to the current system if necessary, including the
revamping of the 1945 Constitution and the creation of a new
political party.

The other group seeks change through adjustments and
modifications by means of consensual deliberations, and the
possibility of limiting presidential terms.

Betraying a conservative stance, Amir strongly feels that
democratization or other political transformations should not
lead to the revision of the present system.

"I am part of the group which believes the current system and
mechanisms should be preserved with some modifications," he said,
pointing out that "radical change is not part of our culture."
(mds)