Politics and history of Indonesia

History + Politics Indonesia

Within our group of six we each have very different interests. For example, I like to have a little background information of a country before I visit it, a little history. That way you can truly appreciate everything you see. You can see how far they’ve come. So before we begin our journey in Jakarta, I thought it would be helpful to understand its history and politics. Indonesia has come a long way from what it used to be…

A few political facts about Jakarta:

-          It’s the capital of Indonesia

-          It’s a Provence, one of the 26 in Indonesia

-          Jakarta is ruled by a governor. Currently: Dr. Ing. H. Fauzi Bowo

-          Population: 9,580,000

-          Jakarta is the largest city in terms of population in South East Asia.

-          World's largest Muslim country with 86% Muslim population

-          …

The Independence of Indonesia

Indonesia has an impressive political history. Before Indonesia became independent it was divided into many different colonies. The Portuguese were the first to come to shore, followed closely by the Dutch. At first, the Dutch came more as traders under the trading umbrella of the Royal East Indies Company. Is it bad that this is the first time I hear ‘East Indies Trading Company’ not in relation with ‘Pirates of The Caribbean’? You gotta love Jack Sparrow!

For the next two centuries, the Dutch conducted business with the natives, although in many cases the trade was not on equal terms. Then the VOC went bankrupt and the Dutch government took over business. The period was disrupted briefly when the British took over colonial rule in 1811 to 1814. And in the early 20th century, the natives of Nusantara learned that as diverse as their ethnicities were, they could imagine themselves as a unified community, it was clear that the end of Dutch colonialism in Indonesia was only a matter of time.

During World War II, the Japanese occupied Indonesia. Although short-lived, the occupation enabled Indonesians to arm themselves for the very first time. Shortly after Japan's defeat in WWII, INDONESIA WAS PROCLAIMED AN INDEPENDENT STATE. As you can see they came a long way before becoming independent. It’s interesting how Indonesia is made up from so many different ethnicities, despite their differences they managed to pull together and fight for their independence.

Rule of Indonesia

Indonesia is a presidential representative democratic republic. This means that the President is both head of state and head of government and of a multi-party system.Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the current president of Indonesia. He was elected in 2004 and ran for re-election in 2009 and won.

Indonesia was ruled by a man named Suharto for 31 years before he was forced to resign in 1998 due to opposition by students. The reason he got re-elected every time was because he tightly controlled politics; not even the slightest room was available for opposition. Since then Indonesian political and governmental structures have undergone major reforms.

I know the post about Suharto is a bit random but I read an entire text about him, what he did, and what happened when they tried to get him to resign. I thought it was worth mentioning him. The riots that he evoked were catastrophic. Here’s the link if you want to read more about him: http://www.asiarooms.com/en/travel-guide/indonesia/jakarta/jakarta-overview/history-of-jakarta.html

With these facts and a little history under my belt I’m ready to start our journey. I know what to expect when I arrive.

Greets 

Marco