The Congress Party’s Win

If Indonesia can take some measure of pride in holding a relatively successful election under trying circumstances, then the world’s largest democracy, India, should be doubly proud that it has sustained its democratic tradition with the recent conclusion of its own national election.

India is the one democracy which Indonesia should look up to. The similarities of our two nations are as long as the history that exists between them.

Moreover, these are two countries of comparable circumstances in economic development, ethnic diversity and the gluttony of political multiplicity.

Indonesia can immediately draw three lessons from its South Asian neighbor.

The first is how India draws strength from its political diversity. Unlike Indonesia, which continues to ban certain ideologies, India celebrates a plethora of miscellaneous viewpoints, from the religious right to the Marxist left.

The second is the relatively maturity of its politicians in forming coalitions that in most cases actually work and are sustainable to govern. The qualities of a parliamentary system have molded many Indian politicians to act like politicians, rather than opportunists.

There have certainly been shortcomings in the past, but the parliamentary culture, which requires the strength of consistent lobbying and the strong formation of a grassroots network, is an area that Indonesia is still in its early stages of scholarship.

The third lesson Indonesia can take from India’s democracy is its establishment of a strong, independent and effective election commission. With so many parties and even more voters in fructuous body politic it would have been impossible to hold such an election without the presence of an agency regarded with esteem.

We should welcome the electoral success of the alliance led by the Congress Party. The continuation of the present status quo bodes well for the world’s second most populous country and its relationship with Indonesia.

Indonesia is familiar with the ideals of the Congress Party, whose forefathers ushered in a new era of regional cooperation and marked the heights of our bilateral relationship.

We are confident that the aspiration of India to play a greater regional role is one which can and should be sustained. As a major regional power, Indonesia looks forward to a more assertive India reclaiming a role, which it has neglected for many decades.

The Look East policy, introduced a decade and a half ago, is one which is beneficial to both countries, whether in the context of the East Asia Summit, or any other arrangement in which Indonesia and India are major players.

We are historical kin and forgotten neighbors who are only now rediscovering the richness of our bilateral relationship. Moreover we are, with all our respective shortcomings, becoming bastions of democracy in a region conducive to autocratic rule.

It is therefore our hope that under the leadership of the aegis of the Congress Party, India will begin to openly adopt a more values based foreign policy. It is grounds for a potentially more prosperous partnership which Indonesia should embrace, for the good of the two countries and the region as a whole.