Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy

Indonesia

In Indonesia NIMD supports a national interparty dialogue and the ground-breaking Democracy Schools programme.

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Overview

In partnership with the Jakarta-based Indonesian Community for Democracy (KID), NIMD supports a national interparty dialogue programme in which seven political parties participate, and a political education programme, consisting of Democracy Schools in five regions, where young politicians, social activists, and professionals are trained in democratic values and practices.

 

Indonesia Programme Review

NIMD focuses on the development of a voter education tool called “VoteMatch”

Indonesia: State of Democracy

Throughout 2008, the political parties geared up for the 2009 parliamentary elections.

Clever People Can't Remain Silent

Video - 2008

A video documentary about the democracy schools that NIMD supports in Indonesia.

Indonesia: Democracy School educates a new generation of politicians

Case Study - 2009

One of the lessons learned from the Democracy School programme in Indonesia is that political education helps enable a new generation of politicians to bridge divides between politics and society.

More information

Political parties in parliament

• Functional Groups Party (Golkar)
• Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P)
• National Awakening Party (PKB)
• United Development Party (PPP)
• Democratic Party (PD)
• Prosperous Justice Party (PKS)
• National Mandate Party (PAN)

Key political events

• Deliberation of four major political bills, including the Bill on Political Parties and the Bill on Elections.
• Disputed elections for governor in the South Sulawesi province exemplify worrying developments in the decentralization process and regional democracy.
• The imminent demise of former President Soeharto forced all political stakeholders to (re)define their position against the ancient regime on the one hand and the post-1998 Reformasi (Reformation) era on the other.
 

Key achievements in 2008

• Democracy Schools are up and running in five regions.
• Groundwork has been done for the expansion of the Democracy Schools from five to fifteen in the next few years.
• Inter-party dialogue was established between the seven most important political parties.
 

Lessons learned

• Intense technical assistance provided by NIMD’s partner KID (Indonesian Community for Democracy) to the implementing agencies of the Democracy School Programmes has proven to be crucial for the transparent and effective management of these programmes.
• The successful start of the inter-party dialogue, as well as the expansion of the Democracy Schools, will require enhanced institutional capacity at KID.
• The recent and considerable success of the direct collaboration with the Indonesian parties at the national level points to the potentially strong strategic advantages of NIMD’s approach, which initially focused on interventions at the local and regional levels. The systematic but patient build-up of a programme at the local and regional levels may help to build trust and can pave the way for successful cooperation later on with political parties at the national level.

Key national partners

• Komunitas Indonesia untuk Demokrasi (KID)
• Partnership/Kemitraan
• PlaCIDs Averroes
• Lembaga Advokasi Penelitian (LAP Timoris)
• Melania Foundation
• Yayasan Puspa
• Institute for Research and Empowerment (IRE)

Key international partners

• Royal Netherlands Embassy
• Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), Germany
• Indonesië Beraad, The Netherlands