THE fall of Soeharto in May 1998 fundamentally changed both the political structure and the political culture within Indonesia. This change is a result of the decline of authoritarian rule, which was followed by the people of Indonesia’s increased enthusiasm for democracy. In addition to this, the debate on political Islam within Indonesia has also been regenerated and revived. This is not only a classical subject but also a fundamental issue in modern Indonesian discourse.
Abstract for the ICCE 2009, April 24 at Imin International Conference Center, East-West Road, Honolulu
Undoubtedly, Islamic groups were one of the key players and co-founders of modern Indonesia. During the revolution and pre-independence era Islamic clerics and ulamas strongly contributed to the formation of an independent Indonesia. The Islamic Trading Union (SDI), for instance, was one of the first modern organizations in the colonial era, which embodied a sense of Indonesian nationalism.
One of the fundamental factors contributing to Indonesian nationalism has been the spread of Islamic teachings throughout the country and the use of bazaar Malay by many middle class Indonesians. Both the distribution of Islamic teachings and the use of bazaar Malay have been occurring for hundreds of years throughout the archipelago.
I will define political Islam as any activity carried out by any individual or Muslim group, using whatever means possible with the purpose of influencing and stimulating the political process. Therefore, the individuals and Muslim groups aim to determine the practice of democracy. I also define two types of political Islam, the first is the electoral political Islam and the second is the non-electoral political Islam.
In this presentation I focus more on the electoral political Islam, thus describe and explain the position of Muslim political groups within Indonesian politics for the decade following the fall of Soeharto. There is a strong tendency that all Indonesian major political parties, including the more secular parties, perceive Islam aspiration as one of their political agendas. The latest development of political Islam concerning to the result of the 2009 Election will also be illustrated and explained. There is also a strong suggestion that the more secular political parties have defeated electoral political Islam camp.
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Teguh Santosa is currently a contributing journalist for Rakyat Merdeka Daily. Previously Teguh was an executive editor for this newspaper and Editor in Chief for its counterpart Rakyat Merdeka Online. Teguh has visited several countries to cover the tensions between the East and the West and is currently working on his master’s degree in Political Science at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Teguh Santosa 