Opportunities for Indonesia

The election results in Malaysia rather speak for themselves, with most people seeing the outcome as being progressive. Malaysia is also viewed as the role model of a modern thinking Islamic country, and one would have to say that label is more than justified.

This is turn provides Indonesia with an opportunity to not only go down the same avenue, but also to leapfrog Malaysia and become the leading nation in the Islamic world. That opportunity is surely available, for to govern this country is by far a greater task than the one facing Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. I do believe that elements of the Arab world have tried to destabilize this region of Asia, but now these election results in Malaysia can be viewed as the first clear indications of a rejection of that infiltration.

The bad side of Islam is far from put down, but this election result is clearly a blow to the extremists, and if Indonesia was to follow suit, then those in the Middle East may well have to sit up and start taking notice of a forward-thinking and progressive Southeast Asia.

More and more people are beginning to accept that it is the injustices, the lack of human rights, the failures of gender equality and the eradication of corruption that are the scourge of our societies, and that religion, although important, should be a private matter and not one that can be manipulated and used for confrontation. There is still a long way to go on that, but you would not have to be extremely clever to see the many opportunities for Indonesia to drag itself back into a world position where it would not only be respected, but would also be a future leader by example.

The deep divides that exist in Islam must be faced and resolved, but in the meantime the way forward is by promoting greater understanding and a genuine desire to concentrate on the things that really matter the most to us all: Peace and prosperity.

DAVID WALLIS, Medan, North Sumatra