Timmas33 94-12 Apec.Doc

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Timmas33 94-12 Apec.Doc Documents on East Timor from PeaceNet and Connected Computer Networks Volume 33: - November 9 - December 1, 1994 Published by: East Timor Action Network / U.S. P.O. Box 1182, White Plains, NY 10602 USA Tel: 914-428-7299 Fax: 914-428-7383 E-mail PeaceNet:CSCHEINER or [email protected] These documents are produced approximately every two months and mailed to subscribers. For additional or back copies, send US$25 per volume; add $3 for international air mail. Discount rates: $10 for educational and non-profit institutions; $6 for U.S. activists; $8 international. Subscription rates: $150 ($60 educational, $36 activist) for the next six issues. Add $18 ($12 activist) for international air mail. Further subsidies are available for groups in Third World countries working on East Timor. Checks should be made out to “ETAN.” The material is grouped by subject, with articles under each category in approximately chronological order. It is also available on IBM-compatible diskette, in either Word for Wi ndows or ASCII format. Reprinting and distribution without permission is welcomed. Much of this information is translated and supplied by TAPOL (London), Task Force Indonesia (USA), CDPM (Lisbon), CNRM, Free East Timor Japan Coalition, Mate-Bian News (Sydney), East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign, and other activists and solidarity groups, but they are not responsible for edi - torial comment or selection. Please note that the categorization of articles in this issue of East Timor Documents is less rigid than usual, because many items deal with more than one topic. In particular, actions and statements from solidarity groups in support of protesters in Jakarta and East Timor are included in the section on the country where the solidarity group is located. TABLE OF CONTENTS PRE-APEC BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................ 7 HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE APEC REGION: 1994 ...............................................................................................7 AMNESTY SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON JAKARTA................................................................................................12 ON EVE OF ASIAN SUMMIT, HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ASSAIL ABUSES IN INDONESIA...............................12 CLINTON SET TO DISCUSS HUMAN RIGHTS ................................................................................................13 SUMMIT LIGHT SPILLS OVER ON TO EAST TIMOR .......................................................................................13 INDONESIA RIGHTS RECORD WATCH........................................................................................................14 INDONESIA RIGHTS ABUSE CITED .............................................................................................................15 CLINTON URGED TO PUT PRESSURE ON JAKARTA......................................................................................15 DISSENT JUST A RUMBLE AS SUHARTO BANGS APEC GONG.......................................................................16 JAKARTA UNEASY UNDER MEDIA GLARE.....................................................................................................16 COST OF CONFLICT: REPORT SAYS FUTURE GRIM FOR EAST TIMOR..........................................................17 AI: HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS CONTINUE THREE YEARS AFTER SANTA CRUZ MASSACRE......................17 SIT-IN AT U.S. EMBASSY IN JAKARTA ....................................................................................................... 18 EAST TIMORESE INVADE U.S. EMBASSY .....................................................................................................18 EAST TIMORESE WORKERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PETITION TO PRESIDENT CLINTON ......................................18 Page 2 East Timor Documents, Volume 33. November 9 - December 1, 1994. TAPOL SUPPORTS EMBASSY OCCUPIERS....................................................................................................19 TIMORESE PROTESTERS SAY THEY WONT QUIT U.S. EMBASSY ..................................................................19 AUSTRALIAN TV COVERAGE OF EMBASSY SIT-IN.........................................................................................20 VOA: TIMORESE DEMONSTRATE AT US EMBASSY ........................................................................................20 TIMORESE BED DOWN AT EMBASSY............................................................................................................20 STUDENTS SETTLE DOWN FOR FIRST NIGHT ..............................................................................................20 DEMONSTRATORS STILL AT EMBASSY ........................................................................................................21 EAST TIMORESE ACTIVISTS ASK TO MEET PRESIDENT CLINTON.................................................................21 CLINTON FACES RIGHTS SIDESHOW AT ASIAN PACIFIC SUMMIT ...............................................................21 EMBASSY FAILS TO CLEAR COMPOUND......................................................................................................22 ‘WE LIVE LIKE IN HELL HERE – THE WHOLE OF EAST TIMOR IS JUST A JAIL’ ..............................................22 TWENTY-NINE TAKE REFUGE IN EMBASSY LOT..........................................................................................23 EAST TIMOR PROTESTS EMBARRASS INDONESIA........................................................................................23 TIMORESE IN U.S. EMBASSY “WANT ASYLUM IN LISBON” ...........................................................................23 RIGHTS PROTESTS UNDERCUT INDONESIA’S STANDING AT ASIA-PACIFI C FORUM....................................23 ASIA SUMMIT CLOUDED BY TENSIONS IN EAST TIMOR...............................................................................24 TWENTY NINE EAST TIMOR YOUTHS REQUEST ASYLUM IN THE U.S...........................................................25 EMBASSY SIT-IN FORCES ISSUE OF HUMAN RIGHTS ..................................................................................25 U.S. JAKARTA EMBASSY PROTESTERS PONDER OPTIONS...........................................................................26 EAST TIMOR STANDOFF IN DILI AND JAKARTA ...........................................................................................26 TIMORESE PROTESTERS STILL HOLED UP ...................................................................................................26 INDONESIA SAYS TIMORESE FREE TO LEAVE COUNTRY .............................................................................26 EAST TIMOR PROTEST CONTINUES AT US EMBASSY....................................................................................27 US EMBASSY DISCUSSES ASYLUM WITH EAST TIMORESE..........................................................................27 UNWELCOME GUEST AT SUHARTO’S PARTY.................................................................................................27 TIMORESE REJECT ASYLUM.........................................................................................................................28 STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF INDONESIA.........................................................28 TIMOR’S OPPORTUNITY ...............................................................................................................................29 ‘TO THE LAST DROP OF BLOOD’..................................................................................................................29 PROTESTER HOSPITALIZED .........................................................................................................................30 EAST TIMORESE EMBASSY PROTEST TO CLIMAX ON TUESDAY....................................................................30 EMBASSY TIMORESE OPT FOR PORTUGAL...................................................................................................30 EAST TIMOR GOVERNOR APOLOGIZED .......................................................................................................31 EAST TIMORESE PROTESTERS LEAVE EMBASSY FOR EXILE.........................................................................31 ETAN/US PROTESTS U.S. GOVERNMENT HYPOCRISY..................................................................................32 TWENTY-NINE IN EXILE AFTER PROTEST ENDS ..........................................................................................32 INDONESIAN “SPIES” ..................................................................................................................................32 AI: UPDATE ON 12 NOVEMBER PROTESTS ...................................................................................................33 LET EAST TIMORESE PROTESTORS EXPERIENCE EXILE: ALATAS.................................................................39 BBC INTERVIEW WITH EMBASSY PROTESTORS ...........................................................................................39 MANY ARRESTED IN JAKARTA................................................................................................................. 39 AI: FEAR OF TORTURE FOR DETAINED PROTESTORS...................................................................................39 CONCERN FOR FATE OF FORTY EAST TIMORESE.........................................................................................40 INFID LETTERS ON EAST TIMORESE STUDENTS DETENTION ......................................................................40
Recommended publications
  • Sudargo Gautama and the Development of Indonesian Public Order: a Study on the Application of Public Order Doctrine in a Pluralistic Legal System
    Sudargo Gautama and the Development of Indonesian Public Order: A Study on the Application of Public Order Doctrine in a Pluralistic Legal System Yu Un Oppusunggu A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2015 Reading Committee: John O. Haley, Chair Michael E. Townsend Beth E. Rivin Program Authorized to Offer Degree School of Law © Copyright 2015 Yu Un Oppusunggu ii University of Washington Abstract Sudargo Gautama and the Development of Indonesian Public Order: A Study on the Application of Public Order Doctrine in a Pluralistic Legal System Yu Un Oppusunggu Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor John O. Haley School of Law A sweeping proviso that protects basic or fundamental interests of a legal system is known in various names – ordre public, public policy, public order, government’s interest or Vorbehaltklausel. This study focuses on the concept of Indonesian public order in private international law. It argues that Indonesia has extraordinary layers of pluralism with respect to its people, statehood and law. Indonesian history is filled with the pursuit of nationhood while protecting diversity. The legal system has been the unifying instrument for the nation. However the selected cases on public order show that the legal system still lacks in coherence. Indonesian courts have treated public order argument inconsistently. A prima facie observation may find Indonesian public order unintelligible, and the courts have gained notoriety for it. This study proposes a different perspective. It sees public order in light of Indonesia’s legal pluralism and the stages of legal development.
    [Show full text]
  • Land- ​ En Volkenkunde
    Music of the Baduy People of Western Java Verhandelingen van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal- , Land- en Volkenkunde Edited by Rosemarijn Hoefte (kitlv, Leiden) Henk Schulte Nordholt (kitlv, Leiden) Editorial Board Michael Laffan (Princeton University) Adrian Vickers (The University of Sydney) Anna Tsing (University of California Santa Cruz) volume 313 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/ vki Music of the Baduy People of Western Java Singing is a Medicine By Wim van Zanten LEIDEN | BOSTON This is an open access title distributed under the terms of the CC BY- NC- ND 4.0 license, which permits any non- commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided no alterations are made and the original author(s) and source are credited. Further information and the complete license text can be found at https:// creativecommons.org/ licenses/ by- nc- nd/ 4.0/ The terms of the CC license apply only to the original material. The use of material from other sources (indicated by a reference) such as diagrams, illustrations, photos and text samples may require further permission from the respective copyright holder. Cover illustration: Front: angklung players in Kadujangkung, Kanékés village, 15 October 1992. Back: players of gongs and xylophone in keromong ensemble at circumcision festivities in Cicakal Leuwi Buleud, Kanékés, 5 July 2016. Translations from Indonesian, Sundanese, Dutch, French and German were made by the author, unless stated otherwise. The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available online at http://catalog.loc.gov LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2020045251 Typeface for the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic scripts: “Brill”.
    [Show full text]
  • 6157 Tapols Held on Plantations
    Tapol bulletin no, 31, Dec-Jan 1978-9 This is the Published version of the following publication UNSPECIFIED (1978) Tapol bulletin no, 31, Dec-Jan 1978-9. Tapol bulletin (31). pp. 1-16. ISSN 1356-1154 The publisher’s official version can be found at Note that access to this version may require subscription. Downloaded from VU Research Repository https://vuir.vu.edu.au/26380/ British Campaign for the Release of Indonesian Political Prisoners TAPOL Bulletin No 31 Dec-Jan 1978-9 6157 Tapols Held on Plantations A total of 6,157 men officially described as "released for many years been engaged in the practice of sending Category-C political prisoners" from Central and East 'released' prisoners as forced labour to work in conditions Java are being held as forced labour on State-owned and of captivity. It confirms that there are far more political military-run plantations in North Sumatra and Aceh. They prisoners being held than the 10,239 officially acknowledged are among 18,000 contract labourers all of whom are being after the reported release of 10,005 prisoners in 1978. held against their will at the plantations. It confirms moreover that thousands of Cate_gory-C This is reported by two Jakarta newspapers Merdeka and prisoners are still being held despite government claims that Kompas (21 October, 1978) which said that the men had all people in this category were freed by 1972. Reports signed 5-year contracts, in some cases as long as 10 or 15 received in the past that prisoners were being used on plan­ years ago, but had been unable to return home after their tations have now been confirmed indisputably, but it is not contracts expired because the employers failed to buy them possible to estimate how many people are involved.
    [Show full text]
  • Legal Aid in the Future (A Development Strategy for Indonesia) Mulya Lubis
    Third World Legal Studies Volume 4 Article 7 1-7-1985 Legal Aid in the Future (A Development Strategy for Indonesia) Mulya Lubis Follow this and additional works at: http://scholar.valpo.edu/twls Recommended Citation Lubis, Mulya (1985) "Legal Aid in the Future (A Development Strategy for Indonesia)," Third World Legal Studies: Vol. 4, Article 7. Available at: http://scholar.valpo.edu/twls/vol4/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Valparaiso University Law School at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Third World Legal Studies by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at [email protected]. LEGAL AID IN THE FUTURE (A DEVELOPMENTAL STRATEGY FOR INDONESIA) Mulya Lubis* I. Introduction During the last ten years or so, legal aid has grown very rapidly in Indonesia. Indeed, the development of legal aid in Indonesia can be considered the most advanced in Asia.' Among ASEAN countries, the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (Lembaga Bantuan Hukum or LBH) is viewed as a model to be followed. To that end, in 1981, ESCAP (the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) requested the Jakarta LBH to assist in the development of legal aid institutes in Thailand and Malaysia.2 LBH offices, sponsored by the Indonesian LBH Foundation, are frequently visited by various representatives of foreign legal aid organizations who wish to understand the progress of the Legal Aid Institute in Indonesia.' Such international recognition of' the LBH is gratifying. Yet we also wonder whether the legal aid movement has really developed all that well.
    [Show full text]
  • State Terrorism and Political Identity in Indonesia
    State Terrorism and Political Identity in Indonesia Approximately one million innocent Indonesians were killed by their fellow nationals, neighbours and kin at the height of an anti-communist campaign in the mid-1960s. This book investigates the profound political consequences of these mass killings in Indonesia upon public life in the subsequent decades, highlighting the historical speci®cities of the violence and compar- able incidents of identity politics in more recent times. Weaving a balance of theory with an empirically based analysis, the book examines how the spectre of communism and the trauma experienced in the latter half of the 1960s remain critical in understanding the dynamics of terror, coercion and consent today. Heryanto challenges the general belief that the periodic anti-communist witch-hunts of recent Indonesian history are largely a political tool used by a powerful military elite and authoritarian government. The book investigates what drove otherwise apolitical subjects to be complicit in the engul®ng cycles of witch-hunts. It argues that elements of what began as an anti-communist campaign took on a life of their own, increasingly operating independently of the violence and individual subjects who appeared to be manipulating the campaigns in the 1980s and 1990s. Despite the profound importance of the 1965±6 events it remains one of the most dicult and sensitive topics for public discussion in Indonesia today. State Terrorism and Political Identity in Indonesia is one of the ®rst books to fully discuss the problematic representation and impacts of a crucial moment of Indonesia's history that until recently has been largely unspoken.
    [Show full text]
  • Dampak Krisis Ekonomi, Terhadap Perubahan Politik Di Indonesia (Peristiwa Mei 1998) Dr Abdul Haris Fatgehipon Msi Dosen PIPS
    Dampak Krisis Ekonomi, Terhadap Perubahan Politik Di Indonesia (Peristiwa Mei 1998) Dr Abdul Haris Fatgehipon MSi Dosen PIPS Fakultas Ilmu Sosial Universitas Negeri Jakarta [email protected] Impact of the Economic Crisis , Against Political Change in Indonesia ( Events May 1998 ) Abstract Economic crisis that hit Southeast Asia in 1997, becoming a threat to the country's economic resilience Southeast Asian region countries. Indonesia, brought the New Order leadership, very confident, in the face of the economic crisis in Asia Landmarks. The rise in the US dollar over the rupiah drastically has caused, Indonesia's economic collapse. 1998 economic crisis, causing distrust of the market and the public to the government. One of the causes of the decline of the exchange rate on the US dollar is the high foreign debt carried by private parties. The private companies involved in foreign debt is generally a close ones and relatives of the New Order government The research method using descriptive qualitative method by conducting interviews, and literature documentationThe military has a share in political change in Indonesia, although not as big and as important in the era of Sukarno. In the era of military reform to be part of the reform agenda, not the reformers. Demonstration undertaken by college students in 1998, initiated by a government policy to raise fuel oil. The economic crisis of 1997, not only brings social impact, termination of employment, but also a political impact, where there was a crisis of people's faith New Order government, which led to the end of the Suharto era Keywords: Economic Crisis, Political Change, May 1998 Abstrak Dampak Krisis Ekonomi, Terhadap Perubahan Politik Di Indonesia (Peristiwa Mei 1998) Badai krisis ekonomi 1997 yang melanda Asia Tengara, menjadi ancaman bagi ketahanan ekonomi negara - negara dikawasan Asia Tengara.
    [Show full text]
  • Death Penalty in Indonesia: Revisiting the Debate Between the Retentionist and the Abolitionist
    Lentera Hukum, Volume 8 Issue 1 (2021), pp. 115-150 ISSN 2355-4673 (Print) 2621-3710 (Online) https://doi.org/10.19184/ejlh.v8i1.20138 Published by the University of Jember, Indonesia Available online 24 April 2021 Death Penalty in Indonesia: Revisiting the Debate Between the Retentionist and the Abolitionist Abdul Jalil Salam* Ar-Raniry State Islamic University, Indonesia Zahlul Pasha Karim Ar-Raniry State Islamic University, Indonesia ABSTRACT: Historically, Indonesia's death penalty does not originate from religious doctrine but a series of democratization processes agreed upon in the legislation. Amidst these processes, two competing opinions respond to Indonesia's death penalty: the retentionist and the abolitionist. These different approaches to address the death penalty, whether imposed or abolished, result in competing perspectives and arguments in regulatory and practical issues both in the national and international arena. This study aimed to revisit the death penalty discourse in Indonesia that opposes the human approach by assuming that the death penalty violates human rights. The data were analyzed in three steps, among other things, unitization, comparison, and conclusion. This study showed that the death penalty remains relevant to Indonesia despite the long struggle of its rejection. It concluded that Indonesia's imposition of the death penalty is regarded as worth defending, with specific and selective applications. The specific application means that the death penalty is applicable for corruptors, drug dealers, terrorists, gross human rights violators, and premeditated murders. Selective application means that a convict sentenced to death must be proven in court with a level of accuracy considered and accepted in law.
    [Show full text]
  • Rewriting Indonesian History the Future in Indonesia’S Past
    No. 113 Rewriting Indonesian History The Future in Indonesia’s Past Kwa Chong Guan Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies Singapore June 2006 With Compliments This Working Paper series presents papers in a preliminary form and serves to stimulate comment and discussion. The views expressed are entirely the author’s own and not that of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies The Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) was established in July 1996 as an autonomous research institute within the Nanyang Technological University. Its objectives are to: • Conduct research on security, strategic and international issues. • Provide general and graduate education in strategic studies, international relations, defence management and defence technology. • Promote joint and exchange programmes with similar regional and international institutions; and organise seminars/conferences on topics salient to the strategic and policy communities of the Asia-Pacific. Constituents of IDSS include the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR), the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS) and the Asian Programme for Negotiation and Conflict Management (APNCM). Research Through its Working Paper Series, IDSS Commentaries and other publications, the Institute seeks to share its research findings with the strategic studies and defence policy communities. The Institute’s researchers are also encouraged to publish their writings in refereed journals. The focus of research is on issues relating to the security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region and their implications for Singapore and other countries in the region. The Institute has also established the S. Rajaratnam Professorship in Strategic Studies (named after Singapore’s first Foreign Minister), to bring distinguished scholars to participate in the work of the Institute.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion's Name: Abuses Against Religious Minorities in Indonesia
    H U M A N R I G H T S IN RELIGION’S NAME Abuses against Religious Minorities in Indonesia WATCH In Religion’s Name Abuses against Religious Minorities in Indonesia Copyright © 2013 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-992-5 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable. We challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law. We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.hrw.org FEBRUARY 2013 1-56432-992-5 In Religion’s Name Abuses against Religious Minorities in Indonesia Map .................................................................................................................................... i Glossary ............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Indonesia – the Presence of the Past
    lndonesia - The Presence of the Past A festschrift in honour of Ingrid Wessel Edited by Eva Streifeneder and Antje Missbach Adnan Buyung Nasution Antje Missbach Asvi Warman Adam Bernhard Dahm Bob Sugeng Hadiwinata Daniel S. Lev Doris Jedamski Eva Streifeneder Franz Magnis-Suseno SJ Frederik Holst Ingo wandelt Kees van Dijk Mary Somers Heidhues Nadja Jacubowski Robert Cribb Sri Kuhnt-Saptodewo Tilman Schiel Uta Gärtner Vedi R. Hadiz Vincent J. H. Houben Watch lndonesia! (Alex Flor, Marianne Klute, ....--.... Petra Stockmann) regioSPECTRA.___.... Indonesia — The Presence of the Past A festschrift in honour of Ingrid Wessel Edited by Eva Streifeneder and Antje Missbach Die Deutsche Bibliothek – CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Indonesia – The Presence of the Past. A festschrift in honour of Ingrid Wessel Eva Streifeneder and Antje Missbach (eds.) Berlin: regiospectra Verlag 2008 (2nd edition) ISBN 978-3-940-13202-4 Layout by regiospectra Cover design by Salomon Kronthaler Cover photograph by Florian Weiß Printed in Germany © regiospectra Verlag Berlin 2007 All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. For further information: http://www.regiospectra.com. Contents In Appreciation of Ingrid Wessel 9 Adnan Buyung Nasution Traces 11 Uta Gärtner Introduction 13 Antje Missbach and Eva Streifeneder Acknowledgements 17 Part I: Indonesia’s Exposure to its Past Representations of Indonesian History 21 A Critical Reassessment Vincent J. H. Houben In Search of a Complex Past 33 On the Collapse of the Parliamentary Order and the Rise of Guided Democracy in Indonesia Daniel S.
    [Show full text]
  • Timmas24 93-09
    Documents on East Timor from PeaceNet and Connected Computer Networks Volume 24: August 1 - September 30, 1993 Published by: East Timor Action Network / U.S. P.O. Box 1182, White Plains, NY 10602 USA Tel: 914-428-7299 Fax: 914-428-7383 E-mail PeaceNet:CSCHEINER or [email protected] For additional copies, please enclose US$10. per volume to cover costs; add an extra $3. for interna- tional air mail. Activist rate: $6. domestic, $8. international. These documents are usually produced approximately every two months, and mailed to subscribers. If you would like to subscribe, send $60 for the next six issues (US), or $78 for international air mail. Reduced rate for activists: $36 in the US, $48 international. Subsidized rate are available for groups in Third World countries working on East Timor. Checks should be made out to “ETAN.” Tax- deductible contributions can be made out to “WESPAC Foundation/ETAN.” The material is grouped by subject, with articles under each category in approximately chronological order. It is also available on IBM-compatible diskette, in either Word for Windows or ASCII format. Reprinting and distribution without permission is welcomed. Much of this information is translated and supplied by TAPOL (London), Task Force Indonesia (USA), CDPM (Lisbon), CNRM, Free East Timor Japan Coalition, Swedish East Timor Committee, Mate-Bian News (Sydney) and other activists and solidarity groups, but they are not responsible for edi torial comment or selection. TABLE OF CONTENTS XANANA IN PRISON; SENTENCE SHORTENED............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Revisiting Liberal Democracy and Asian Values in Contemporary Indonesia*
    Constitutional Review, Volume 4, Number 1, May 2018 P-ISSN: 2460-0016 (print), E-ISSN: 2548-3870 (online) https://doi.org/10.31078/consrev415 Revisiting Liberal Democracy and Asian Values in Contemporary Indonesia* Muhammad Bahrul Ulum Faculty of Law, University of Jember [email protected] Nilna Aliyan Hamida Faculty of Law, University of Jember [email protected] Abstract This paper aims to examine the complex and often contentious relationship between constitutionalism and integralism in the Indonesian government and provides a criticism of democratization within the contemporary state. Integralist state portrays the relationship between the state and the people as analogous to a family, with the state as a father and the people as children (the Family Principle). Those that adhere to this view, with regard to contemporary Asian politics, claim that Asian values are inherently integralist, that Asia’s particular history and values different considerably from the West’s, and thatPancasila, Indonesia’s state philosophy, is utilized to establish romanticized relations between the ruler and the ruled. The data presented in this paper was collected from relevant articles on Indonesian democracy and Asian values. It also demonstrates how Pancasila, as Indonesia’s core guiding philosophy, has influenced debates over how the constitutional should be applied and interpreted. As the research shows, during the regimes of Sukarno and Suharto, Pancasila was manipulated in order to promote the goals of the state, and that a reliance on integralism during Indonesia’s founding years severely diminished human rights and Indonesia’s capacity for an efficient democracy. By continually putting the priorities of the state above those of the people, the Indonesian government has contradicted its adoption of human rights and liberal democracy is often challenged by the spirit of integralism.
    [Show full text]