A Study On The Islamic Elements In Indonesia's Political Construction

As an emerging country born out of colonial rule after World War II,Indonesia has a long way to go in its political construction.In this process,the Islamic elements play an extremely important role,exerting an impact on the construction of Indonesia's internal affairs,diplomacy and national identity.In the construction of the country's internal affairs,the Islamic elements have played a certain role in Indonesia's decision-making circle,institutional circle and civil society.At the first circle,the elements have always been used as a tool to balance other forces during the authoritarian period.Gaining a positive start apparently though,it then slid to a negative tendency.After being extremely suppressed,controlled and manipulated,they almost had no space in political arena.At the same time,the Islamic elements began to undergo internal transformation,being more moderate gradually.During the post-Suharto era,although the elements got greater autonomy,it never owns enough power to compete against the force of secular nationalism,while playing a supporting role still.At the institutional circle,the Islamic elements could mainly be seen in the establishment and operation of the Ministry of Religious Affairs during the Sukarno administration,which played a significant role in promoting the unification of Islamic affairs in Indonesia.During the Suharto administration,the government implemented all-round intervention over religions and had strict governance of them,so the Islamic elements were then subject to the political trend of the regime.In the post-Suharto era,the elements have got new traits,stepping toward wider autonomy and deeper self-consciousness.In the civil society,two major Islamic social organizations,Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiya,have been quite active since the early years of Indonesia's independence.In the Suharto administration,the implementation of hard policies suppressed the political demands of social groups.With the end of the regime,civil society gained greater autonomy finally,leading to an increase of the types and number of social organizations.In terms of Indonesia's diplomatic construction,the seeming significance of the Islamic elements was once greater than its substantive role.In the early days of the national founding,Indonesia established friendly diplomatic relations with Arab Islamic countries,which helped it in improving its extremely embarrassing international situation.However,from the perspective of its national interests,the elements have always been marginalized and never been taken into consideration of.In the first two decades of the Suharto administration,the elements were essentially absent in its almost stagnant diplomacy.Since the 1990 s,with the changes of domestic power structure,Suharto's foreign policy has gone towards a high-profile way.The Islamic elements have begun to gain momentum under this situation,but still failed to play a role in foreign policy.In the new democratized era,political power has no longer been concentrated in the hands of the elites in foreign policy,which allows different stakeholders to participate in parts of the country's agenda.Based on this,the Islamic social forces could get the chance to exert influence on the planning and implementation of foreign policy.With the coming of democratic area in diplomacy,the role of the Islamic elements has undergone two significant changes.The first one at the beginning of the democratic transition was marked by their awakeness in national consciousness.They began to hold deeper concerns of government's foreign policy and exert substantial influence over it.The second one happened with the coming of the Susilo presidency,and the Islamic elements this time were regarded as political benefits.The government was more aware of the importance of dialogue among religions and civilizations,meanwhile took steps in practicing and promoting it.Under this background,the Islamic elements gradually shifted their means in diplomacy participation,from an indirect way of exerting pressure over the government to a direct one of assisting the government actively.In terms of national identity construction,the Islamic elements are in the most prominent and critical position.As a non-Islamic country dominated by Muslim groups,Indonesia's special national attributes and characteristics lead to its “dual identity”.In the early stage of the national founding,Sukarno proposed “pancasila”,which laid the foundation for the national identity.Since Suharto came to power,he has elevated “pancasila” as the only correct ideological principle,and used it to forcibly shape the identity of the Islamic elements and other groups.In the post-Suharto area,“pancasila” was endowed with new connotations such as democracy,human rights,and diversification.The relationship between religion and state then changed fundamentally,and the Islamic elements began to seek their own identity actively.At the same time,non-mainstream forces within the elements have also brought challenges to the construction of Indonesia's national identity,inviting and inciting various contradictions such as regional separatism and religious conflicts.