Indonesia
President Suharto came to power in 1966 with army support following an
abortive communist coup attempt, and was re-elected to his sixth five-year
term in 1993. He reintroduced a parliament consisting of 100 military appointees
and 400 elected members from three authorized political parties: the ruling
Golongan Karya Pasut (Golkar), which has a majority of more than two-thirds
of elected seats; the Muslim-based Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP, United
Development Party); and the smallest of the three, the Partai Demokrasi
Indonesia (PDI, Indonesian Democratic Party) .
In 1995, as a gesture towards broader political participation, Suharto reduced
the number of appointed armed forces parliamentary representatives to seventy-five.
The political system, however, remains autocratic, and opposition is severely
limited, especially in East Timor and Irian Java.
Firmly anti-communist under Suharto, Indonesia is of strategic importance
to the USA and the West, given its geographical position straddling critical
shipping lanes linking the Indian and Pacific oceans. A security agreement
was signed with Australia in November 1995. Indonesia is a member of the
Muslim world's Islamic Summit and the non-aligned movement, and is also
an important non-Arab member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC).
In 1996 an unlikely alliance crystallized between the PDI, essentially a
grouping of nationalistic and Christian parties, then headed by Megawati
Sukarno-Putri (daughter of the former President Sukarno), and the mass Muslim
organization Nahadal Ulamma. The alliance, loosely based on shared pro-democracy
views, could affect Indonesia's political balance in upcoming elections
should it gain widespread support, and should Megawati, who was ejected
from the PDI leadership in June, either regain her position or, more likely,
generate substantial anti-government opposition within the PDI. The next
general elections will be held in 1997.
Projections expected Indonesia's economy to show continued strong growth
through 1996, in line with the 8.1 per cent gross domestic product growth
achieved in 1995. The trade balance showed a healthy increase of 6.4 per
cent, giving encouragement to a first quarter setback in the current account
figures, which total 6.9 per cent. Overall, Indonesia's eco-nomy was stronger
in 1996 than the previous year, with an accumulation of foreign reserves
lending stability to the currency.
Antisemitism has not been commonplace in Indonesia at official or grassroots
levels, but has surfaced occasionally in the context of anti-Zionism. In
recent years antisemitic statements have appeared in the media from time
to time. For example, in 1993 Professor Agha Hamid published an article
entitled "The History of the Jews, Part One" in the Indonesia
Times , which described the Jews as being characterized by "intense
greed, unhindered abominable vices, plundering, usurpation, trickery and
other allied traits". He also alleged that "the Jewish religion
is not a religion at all. It is, in fact, a bloody, sadistic and obscene
code devised by Zionist-Talmudic sages."
In 1994 the film Schindler's List was prohibited, allegedly because
of explicit sexual scenes, as in other Southeast Asian countries, but reaction
in Indonesia revealed underlying antisemitic attitudes. Furthermore, the
Committee for World Muslim Solidarity claimed that the film would cause
too much sympathy for the Jews and would harm the Muslim cause. The film
was ultimately withdrawn when the director, Steven Spielberg, refused to
allow it to be censored.
With its large Muslim minority-at least 90 per cent of the population is nominally Muslim-Indonesia has been a relatively moderate and tolerant country, with constitutional safeguards for freedom of worship by religious minorities. There are more than 300 seperate ethnic groups, including significant Hindu, Christian and Buddhist minorities. Underlying discrimination exists against ethnic Chinese, who constitute approximately 3 per cent of the population.
Beginning in October 1996 and continuing into 1997 Indonesia was racked
by Islamic unrest and the Suharto government used substantial force to maintain
order, primarily in West Java. The chairman of the Indonesian Supreme Advisory
Council, Retired Admiral Madia Sudomo, blamed the rioting on the remnants
of Darul Islam/Tentara Islam Indonesia, a group that staged a rebellion
in 1949 to establish an Islamic organization in the infant republic. Islamic
groups in the country took great offence at the targeting of an Islamic
group, and challenged Sudomo, a non-Muslim and one of the most powerful
leaders in Indonesia after President Suharto. Suharto called for religious
and ethnic unity. "In the life of the nation and state, we must struggle
for the welfare of the whole nation, for all Indonesians, irrespective of
their race, ethnicity or religion", Suharto told a gathering of Muslims
at the Istiqlal Mosque in central Jakarta on 25 January.
In November, Hasan Basri, the chairman of the Indonesian Council of Muslim
Leaders, called for the imposition of strict Islamic modes of dress and
other measures such as the banning of alcohol, as in Iran. Such moves towards
an Iranian-style theocracy, if accompanied by hostility to the West and
Israel, would significantly impact on the level of anti-semitism.
No significant sporting events brought Indonesia into conflict with Jews or Israel during 1996. As such, it was not possible to determine any change in the prevailing anti-Israel attitudes of Indonesian sports bodies displayed during the 38th World Outdoor Archery Championship in July 1995.
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is widely portrayed in mainstream newspapers as accepted fact, and local bookstores prominently display titles like 76 Characteristics of the Jew and The Western and Jewish Grudge Against Islam.
In 1996 no discernible significant anti-Zionist protests or other actions took place.
Indonesia's negative actions regarding Israel and Jews reflect its sympathy
as a Muslim nation with its co-religionists in the Middle East rather than
any deep-seated antisemitism. Antisemitic attitudes in the media and in
government decisions, and immoderate language from some Muslim leaders,
do persist at a modest level. Over the long term, however, Indonesia faces
significant challenges from conservative Muslim forces seeking to radicalize
the state. Such forces, while not necessarily antisemitic or anti-Zionist,
could if influenced by Iranian forces generate such feelings in significant
sections of the Muslim community.
© JPR 1997