1. Lecturer : Prof. Dr. Ginandjar Kartasasmita
jgkar@cbn.net.id, www.ginandjar.com
Assistant Professor : Dr. Dadang Solihin, SE, MA
dadangsol@yahoo.com

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3.  IT IS TRUE THAT FUNDAMENTALIST ISLAMIC GROUPS
GROUPS,
SOME OF THEM MILITANT, DO EXIST IN INDONESIA, BUT
THEY ARE MARGINAL AND HAVE LITTLE POPULAR
SUPPORT.
 DESPITE THE RECURRENCE OF INCIDENTS INVOLVING
SOME ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS, FOR MANY YEARS,
INDONESIA, THE COUNTRY WITH THE LARGEST MUSLIM
POPULATION IN THE WORLD, HAS BEEN WELL KNOWN
AS A PLURALISTIC SOCIETY CHARACTERIZED BY
RELIGIOUS MODERATION AND TOLERANCE.
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4.  WITH THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
COMPLETED, THE DEBATE ON THE INCLUSION OF THE
JAKARTA CHARTER INTO THE CONSTITUTION HAS BEEN
MORE OR LESS BEEN CONCLUDED.
 THE VOTES AGAINST IT WERE OVERWHELMING,
CUTTING ACROSS POLITICAL FAULT LINES.
 ALTHOUGH THE POSSIBILITY OF FUTURE ATTEMPTS TO
REINTRODUCE THE JAKARTA CHARTER IS EVER PRESENT,
THE POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR SUCH A MOVE WOULD BE
CONFINED TO A SMALL MINORITY.
 NOT ONLY ARE THE SECULAR NATIONALIST PARTIES
AGAINST IT, MANY PARTIES WITH ISLAMIC CREDENTIALS
ARE ALSO NOT SUPPORTING IT.
IT
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5.  EVEN IF THE JAKARTA CHARTER DOES NOT POSE AN
IMMEDIATE THREAT TO THE UNITY OF THE COUNTRY,
ADJUSTING TO AND COPING WITH A DEEPENING RELIGIOUS
AWARENESS AND RELIGIOUS PIETY WITHIN THE MUSLIM
POPULATION IS STILL A CHALLENGE FOR INDONESIA.
 ALTHOUGH INDONESIA IS A PREDOMINANTLY MUSLIM
COUNTRY, ISLAMIC POLITICAL PARTIES IN INDONESIA HAS
NEVER BEEN ABLE TO ATTAIN MORE THAN 40% OF THE VOTES,
SINCE THE ELECTION OF 1955 UP TO THE LAST ELECTION IN
2004. THEREFORE, MOST INDONESIAN MUSLIM VOTED FOR
PARTIES NOT BASED IN RELIGION.
 THE DIFFERENT FROM ONE ELECTION TO ANOTHER IS THE
COMPOSITION OF THE VOTES GARNERED BY THE ISLAMIC
PARTIES, WHICH CONSTANTLY CHANGES REFLECTING THE
POLITICAL MOOD AND ENVIRONMENT OF THE TIME.
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6.  IN THE SHORT RUN, HOWEVER, THE REVIVAL OF
ISLAMIC VALUES IN THE MINDS AND LIVES OF THE
POPULATION, MOST IMPORTANTLY AMONG THE
INTELLIGENTSIA AND THE POLITICAL ELITE, AND THE
YOUNG, MAY AFFECT ATTITUDES OR RESPONSES TO
POLITICAL ISSUES THAT INVOLVE ISLAM SUCH AS
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM.
 THE SEPTEMBER 11 ACT OF TERRORISM AGAINST THE
US WAS ALMOST UNANIMOUSLY CONDEMNED BY
ORGANIZED MUSLIMS AND BY THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL.
GENERAL
 EXCEPT FOR A FEW VERY VOCAL FANATICS, INDONESIA’S
MUSLIMS WERE OUTRAGED BY WITH HAPPENED IN
NEW YORK.
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7.  THE FEELING OF OUTRAGE AGAINST TERRORISM
THAT HAD TAKEN THE LIVES OF INNOCENT PEOPLE
WAS HEIGHTENED WHEN INDONESIA ALSO BECAME
A VICTIM OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM WITH THE
BOMBING IN BALI ON 12 OCTOBER 2002, THE MORE
RECENT MARRIOT BOMBING IN JAKARTA ON 5
AUGUST 2002, AND THE SECOND BALI BOMBING IN
2005.
 FOR MANY INDONESIAN MUSLIMS, TERRORISM
MUSLIMS
HAD ONLY SUCCEEDED IN CREATING THE WRONG
IMAGE OF ISLAM AND ISLAMIC VALUES
VALUES.
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9.  OBSERVERS OF INDONESIA HAVE PAID MUCH
ATTENTION TO THE ROLE OF THE MILITARY IN POST
POST-
NEW ORDER POLITICS AND HOW THE MILITARY
PERCEIVE ITS ROLE IN DEMOCRACY
DEMOCRACY.
 EVENTS SURROUNDING THE FALL OF SUHARTO
SHOWED THAT THE MILITARY HAD BEEN SUPPORTIVE
OF POLITICAL CHANGE. ITS ROLE WAS CRUCIAL IN THE
PEACEFUL TRANSITION FROM AN AUTHORITARIAN
REGIME TO REAL DEMOCRACY.
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10.  IN THE TRANSITION DURING THE HABIBIE PERIOD, THE
MILITARY LENT ITS POLITICAL WEIGHT TO THE
INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF DEMOCRACY BY SUPPORTING
THE CREATION OF LAWS AND RULES THAT DISMANTLED THE
OLD AUTHORITARIAN STRUCTURES AND REPLACED IT WITH
A DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM.
 THE MILITARY HAS SHOWN ITS COMMITMENT TO
DEMOCRACY WHEN IT ACCEPTED THE CONSENSUS OF THE
POLITY THAT IT SHOULD NO LONGER TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE
IN POLITICS AND THEREFORE NO LONGER HOLD SEATS IN
THE ELECTIVE POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS.
 UNDER WAHID, THE MILITARY HAD BEEN STEADFAST IN
REFUSING TO BE USED AS AN INSTRUMENT TO SUBVERT
THE CONSTITUTION AND RESISTED THE PRESSURE TO
REVERSE TO AUTHORITARIANISM
AUTHORITARIANISM.
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11.  ALTHOUGH MANY RETIRED SENIOR OFFICERS WERE
AGAINST CHANGING THE CONSTITUTION, THE
CONSTITUTION
SERVING MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT FULLY
SUPPORTED THE AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE
BECOME THE FOUNDATION FOR A STRONGER AND
MORE STABLE DEMOCRACY.
 THEREFORE IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT THE MILITARY IS
NOT A THREAT BUT AN ASSET TO INDONESIA’S
DEMOCRACY.
DEMOCRACY
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