On the point of religious tolerance

25Feb11

If there’s one topic that I’d like to avoid when I write, it’s actually about religion. If you’re like any other Indonesian, religion goes deeply into each of us; it’s embedded into your system of values and how you live and treat others are based on what you believe in. Thus, when one speaks of religion, it is hard to separate between logical arguments and what your faith has told you to do. As we’ve witnessed recently in Indonesia, speaking about religion and practicing it- to a certain extent-if not done ‘correctly’, you are prone to ill treatment from others who are different than you.

So I cautiously ask, does religious tolerance still exist (or has it ever existed) in Indonesia?

Filed under: Politics, Social   |  10 Comments
Tags: Ahmadiyah, Indonesia, religion, Robert D Putnam, tolerance

Judicial Corruption in Indonesia: Authoritarianism & the Weakening of the Judiciary

09Feb11

According to the 2008 Public Sector Integrity Survey conducted by the Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission, among other public services in Indonesia, the Supreme Court’s integrity value have ranked among the lowest, which translates that the public sees the Supreme Court as one of the corrupt institutions in the country. The fact that the public does not see the Supreme Court as the harbinger of justice, and instead perceives it as a part of the rule of law problem, provides a serious challenge to good governance in Indonesia. In a country where it has been under an authoritarian regime for more than three decades, this essay will assert that such regime have deliberately weakened the Supreme Court, which led to its inability in providing professional judicial services and subsequently led to its systemic corruption. This essay will also argue how Indonesia’s transition to democracy have helped to shape its legal reform process.

Filed under: Economy, Politics, Social   |  6 Comments
Tags: Authoritarianism, Indonesia, judicial corruption, legal reform