Indonesia: The Amaze Paradox of Democracy and Islam

By: Siti Merlina Indriani*

Indonesia is the most populous democracy in the Muslim majority world. Stated that 85%
of Indonesia's population dominated by Muslim. Currently the population of Indonesia reached
approximately 250 million people. The number of Muslim population in Indonesia is almost the
same as the combination of all Arabic language countries in the world. On the other hand, since
the fall of Suharto in 1998, Indonesia became the world's third largest democracy after India and
the US. Since 1998, when the long-serving authoritarian rule of General Suharto stepped down,
from that time, the wings of democracy and freedom entrenched up to the rest of Indonesia. In
2004 and 2014 the society has been involved in Election and Presidential Election, 35 elections
in Provincial level and 510 in district or city level. A condition indicates that the process of
democratization in Indonesia runs a progressive and fast. Nowadays, Indonesian has
implemented a variety of widening political freedom and participation in the political high
process through the democratic system.
By canalization, a democratic political system is not only applied in Indonesia, and even
some other countries are also embracing the democratic political system. One of it is the United
States (US), which has successfully implemented a democratic political system so well that can
serve as an example for countries adherents of the democratic political system. There is nothing
wrong for a country to adopt a democratic political system, as well as with Indonesia. However,
the discussions on the implementation of a democratic political system in Indonesia are
becoming the trending topic of discussion in the national and international scope. Using
cooperation with a democratic political system in Indonesia and the US, it is almost found little
difference. However, something more interesting to be compared and discussed which are not
realized by most political parties is the application of the system of democracy and Islam in
Indonesia, because Indonesia is the majority of Moslem society. Many people are comparing the
political system of democracy and Islam as if the two are opposites and cannot work hand in
hand in a country.
Democracy represents progress, civilization, modernity. While Islam does not
infrequently rated as a symbol of backwardness, tyranny, and primitive. Indonesian, Turkish,

Pakistan and some other Muslim majority countries was strong evidence of how mistaken view
of the above. This is not only managed to live modest, the spirit of democracy in these countries
successfully entrenched.

Placed Position: Islam and Democracy

Islam is a religion. One of the religions is officially recognized by the Constitution of the
Republic of Indonesia. As a religion, Islam is believed and understood as a set of rules and
regulations (aqidah wa al-shari'ah 'ah), which comes from Allah. Religion, in all aspects of his
teachings, intended to be a guide for humans. Since He became a guide for human life, then it
must also be the basis for all or the whole of human behavior, which includes the behavior of the
political, economic, and social and so on.
In the meantime, conditions and rules that come from God are seen to have the absolute
value (ultimate). Thus the assessment of something done by Islam on human behavior and
absolute certainty had determined whether it was included in the category of right or wrong.
Such as legal absolute provisions that cannot be changed and will be valid throughout the life of
human beings.
On the other hand, democracy is the ideology. According to Big Indonesian Dictionary,
democracy is government by the society in which the supreme power vested in the society and
run directly by the society or their representatives who choose under a free electoral system. In
this regard, democracy is a system where society is given the freedom of taking decisions by
majority voting power. Thus can be seen the implication among others: (a) the appointment of
the heads of state or government agency officials of all ranks, (b) how decisions are made about
a law or regulation.
Democracy depends on the development of a culture of democratic citizens. Culture in
this sense is the behavior, practices and norms which describes the ability of citizens to govern
themselves. Governments that represent the citizens by itself must give freedom to every citizen
to pursue their interests and carry out the rights. At its core is the lack of freedom. Freedom and
democracy are often used on a reciprocal basis, but the two are not the same. Democracy is

indeed a set of ideas and principles about freedom, but also involves a set of practices and
procedures that are formed through a long history. In other words it can be said that democracy is
the institutionalization of freedom. It is therefore natural that in the development of democratic
discourse is related to the issue of freedom, such as human rights, equality before the law, and
tolerance.
From the short analyzing above, the focus and scope of democracy is on humanitarian
issues, from human to human. And more focus again is a matter of contemporary, mundane life.
In a democracy there is no intervention from either the outside, beyond the human self, i.e.
Allah. Thus, in a democracy there are no values that patterned divine. No values are seen as
transcendental eternal. Justification of right and wrong is generated from a relatively democratic
patterned, highly dependent on the mutual agreement of a society. Decisions and rules were
instituted as a result of democracy does not have the absolute and transcendent value (spiritual).
Products democratic rule and the present merely temporal (worldly) alone. Even if there is
ownership and absoluteness of sovereignty are different between Islam and democracy, does not
of itself mean Islam is incompatible with democracy. Many issues must be parsed more about
compatibility and incompatibility of Islam with democracy. However, the juxtaposition of Islam
with democracy necessarily is the wrong way to look and clearly erroneous.
If the opinion of some party democracy and Islam is very unlikely to work hand in hand
and always a debate. This is not absolutely true, in my point of view there is a major cause of
democracy and Islam's synergies. When compared to countries with other Muslims, the majority
of Indonesian Muslims are moderate Muslims. Muslims who are familiar with the diversity and
plurality of the surrounding community. Group of moderate Muslims like these tend to easily
adopt new values even smelled a "foreign" as long as these values are not in direct intersect with
the syariah of Islam. The essence of democracy is anti-dictatorship, abuse of power and respect
the aspirations of the people clearly are closely aligned with the sublime teachings of Islam.
Some Muslim scholars of Indonesia's most respected openly are the main supporter of the
development of democracy.
The unique design of the development of Indonesia's democracy is democracy and Islam
are not mutually annihilate. Significantly, their rapidly developing democracy after the reform
became hotbeds of political advancement of Islam. This is not far different from the Turkish

political developments. AKP (Adele vet Kalknma Partition) which tends Islamic government
has mastered more than eight years and managed to bring Turkey to the impressive economic
growth. Other evidence of how democracy is able to articulate the needs and voices of the
Muslims in the government.

*The writer is one of one active student, Jember University