Indonesia and Malaysia show Muslims can practice democracy

Lee Kuan Yew, The Straits Times, Asia News Network, Singapore

In March, Malaysia, with a population of 25.1 million (65 percent Malay and indigenous peoples, 35 percent Chinese, Indians and others), held its 11th peaceful general election since independence.

The United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which has led the country continuously since independence in 1957, had suffered a serious setback in the 1999 general election, when the Islamic opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) for the first time won more Muslim constituencies in the Malay heartland than UMNO. The spiritual head of PAS advocates sharia law, which mandates the severing of hands of thieves, the stoning to death of adulterous women and a return to the purity of seventh-century Islam.

Malaysia's Constitution reflects its multiracial society. Article 3 states that Islam is the religion of the federation but other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony. The rise of Islamic religiosity worldwide, however, has helped the Islamic opposition gain support for Malaysia's becoming an Islamic state.

When Abdullah Ahmad Badawi became prime minister last year, he neutralized this issue, declaring that Malaysia was an Islamic state -- one that follows Islam Hadhari (progressive Islam), which stands against corruption and nepotism and encourages cooperation with other races and religions.

Abdullah, well liked for his honesty and fairness, has impeccable Islamic credentials. He is the son and grandson of respected Muslim scholars and holds a degree in Islamic studies. In this age of resurgent Islam, such credentials matter.

In the March elections, Abdullah won back the Muslim seats and the one state government former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad lost to PAS in 1999. His victory showed that Muslims will support a progressive Islamic government led by an honest leader over Islamists who present themselves as the only force able to prevent the corruption and debasement of Muslim societies.

With the hard-core Islamic vote for PAS increasing from 15 percent to 15.8 percent, it is clear, though, that future electoral contests will be about the nature of the Islamic state and whether a leader has the right Islamic attributes.

UMNO has taken a firm line with PAS, rooting out terrorists because they threaten its power base. Even a son of a PAS leader was detained under the Internal Security Act for being a member of a terrorist group.

In April, Indonesia, with a population of 238 million (88 percent Muslim, 8 percent Christian, 2 percent Hindu, 2 percent Buddhist and others), held its second peaceful legislative elections since former president Soeharto resigned in 1998.

The Muslim parties' vote increased by 1.3 percent to 38.9 percent, but 61 percent of the vote went to secular parties. (The three leading candidates in the presidential election are nationalists, but all three have chosen leading Muslim figures as vice-presidential running mates in order to win the Muslim vote.)

The feared electoral strength of the Muslim extremist group Jamaah Islamiyah (responsible for the bombings in Bali) did not warrant the government's kid-glove handling of Abu Bakar Basyhir, the group's spiritual leader.

In Indonesia, only those terrorists directly involved in bombings are prosecuted. Their religious mentors are left untouched, even though they are the most crucial part of the terror chain. Because of this, madrasahs (religious schools) that teach and promulgate extremist Islam continue to spawn new generations of suicide bombers.

Malaysia and Indonesia carry the promise that Muslims can run democratic systems of government. However, we must keep in mind that democratic elections in Indonesia are in their infancy.

Moreover, Indonesia has yet to establish the rule of law, without which no constitutional rights are guaranteed or enforceable. Both countries have tolerant Muslim populations that have lived peacefully for hundreds of years with indigenous and immigrant peoples of different religions and races. Both have educated their people, including women. Many of their citizens work for multinational corporations and are comfortable with foreigners.

Can similar conditions be created in Arab countries? Though more secular, Iraqis are Arabs. Theirs is a male-dominant society. Iraqis are more intense in their faith, and Muslim clerics have more influence than political leaders. Over many long years, it might be possible to create conditions like those in Malaysia, but it is doubtful United States forces will stay that long.

On June 28, American authorities restored Iraq's sovereignty under a United Nations Security Council resolution, handing authority to a caretaker government led by interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. Elections for a representative government are to be held no later than Jan 31 next year. The result should be a better Iraq.

But if U.S. forces leave precipitately because of terrorist attacks, Muslim terrorists throughout the world will be triumphant. Where the Vietnamese were content to see Americans leave and to concentrate on building socialism in Vietnam, Islamic militants will pursue departing Americans to all corners of the globe. If the militants succeed in thwarting the U.S. in Iraq, their zealousness to die in pursuit of an Islamic caliphate spanning the globe will reach new heights.

The writer is Senior Minister of Singapore. This column also appears in the current issue of Forbes magazine.