Limited Space: Religion and Politics in the New Order Era

By Roma Ulinnuha

In the strong patronage of authoritarian power, many people say that Indonesia under the New Order era is seen as both bless and dismay. In the massive developmental jargon, the regime seemed quite reluctant promoting the religious realm in its truest sense. People were carefully alert to the religious discussion since it related to SARA (ethnic groups, religion, race and inter-groups) issue. In the process of the era, government tended to establish the artificial stability which was actually kept the waves of inconvenience among the citizen. The evidence is the end of the regime due to economic and political instability.
Aragon (2000) questioned the model of policy why Indonesian government did not necessarily relate the Christianity and ‘world religion’ to define modernity and national development (p.39). The response is surely easy to say in the common view of the wide Indonesian region, but it does not mean ‘people who do not yet have a religion’ has been taken seriously into consideration during the era. This segment, I think, occurred as the regime wanted to control the stability. One of the ways to carry out is to make religion as a reductive religious teachings and symbol. In political realm, government merged the aspiration of many religious facets into PPP which was not really satisfied the common people. Even a lot of religious moments were colored with the interest of the mono-loyalty to the government issues and policies.
As powerful regime but tended to dictatorship, Leo Suryadinata (1995) argues that Indonesia under Soeharto wanted to play role in the world affair. In approaching the issue of Palestine-Israel, many moments were engineering the Non Alignment Movements. In this case, Suryadinata argued that religion was not a major consideration for Indonesian Foreign Policy (p.295). I do agree with Suryadinata’s notion that religion is not significant factor in directing Indonesia’s policy at the time. The intensive notion I believe is the political interest to play role in international affair despite the fact that the regime was too far violating the national affairs—of freedom of religion, speech and expression.
Readings:
Lorraine V. Aragon, Fields of Lord: Animism, Christian Minorities, and State development in Indonesia (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2000);
Leo Suryadinata, Islam and Suharto’s Foreign Policy: Indonesia, Middle East and Bosnia, Asian Survey, March 1995