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This essay argues that despite the rising Islamic manifestations among Indonesian society and the majority Muslim population, these conditions not do threaten the monotheistic nature of the Indonesia state espoused by the national philosophy – Pancasila. The secular-national parties’ victory led by the Democratic Party during the 2009 April General Election clearly affirms the view that the Muslim majority do not “see voting as ‘confessional behaviour’, explicitly linked to their faith” (Fealy 2009, Kadir 2004, Hefner 2000). Further examination of the election results also revealed uneven levels of support among the heterogeneous Islamic political parties. Until these disparate parties are able to consolidate their support bases, establish common political agendas and design viable socio-economic policies to attract the Muslim voters, their presence would not threaten the Pancasila state.

This essay begins with an introduction to Pancasila with a focus on its monotheistic nature, followed by the development of political Islam under Soeharto’s rule. Third, I will provide an introduction to the various Islamic political parties that have emerged following the demise of Soeharto’s regime. After which I will provide an analysis of the Islamic parties’ performance during the recent 2009 April General Election. Based on the latest voting trends, I will finally conclude if political Islam poses a present threat to Indonesia’s national philosophy.

The Indonesia’s national philosophy, Pancasila, consists of five principles. The first principle “Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa” states that “the State shall be based on the belief in the one and only God”. Similarly in Article 29 of the Indonesia Constitution which set out the status of religion in the state, no single religion was officially acknowledged. In addition, “the government is [also] required to follow a policy of neutrality towards all religions” and “afford equal right to all citizen regardless of their religious persuasions” (Salim 2007). These two examples highlight the basis for monotheism and religious plurality to exist in the Indonesian state where non-Muslim form the other 13% of the population (Kadir 2004).

As the nation’s dominant religion, Islamic groups has always been featured extensively in Indonesia’s historical and political landscape. Islamic mass organisations such the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and the Muhammadiyah had a history of political activism in the country ever since the independence and anti-communist movements. After seizing power from Soekarno in 1965, Soeharto saw these Islamic organisations as political challenges to his newly acquired state authority. Therefore he sought to “sideline all Islamic parties … and subjected all political activities to stringent state control” (Means 2009). Soeharto required all organisations to assert their acceptance to the national philosophy of Pancasila. During that period, he also sanctioned new an Islamic political party and state agency such as Partai Muslimin Indonesia (Parmusi) and Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), in efforts to further diffuse the Islamic vote and community leadership. For much of his rule, Soeharto was generally able to curb the influence of political Islam and but not totally emasculate its existence.

In 1999, following Soeharto’s resignation, Indonesia embarked on the electoral democracy path. The democratisation process led to a flurry of Islamic and Muslim-based political parties particularly after years of political marginalisation under Soeharto’s rule (Kadir 2004, Ufen 2009). More than twenty political parties contested in the 1999 General Election. By and large, these Islamic political parties fall under two broad categories: Islamic and Muslim-oriented parties (Kadir 2004, Ufen 2009). The Islamic parties officially proclaim their Islamic identity with the clear agenda to apply Shariah laws across the societal and political realms. Only Muslims are admitted into these parties. This list includes the United Development Party (PPP), Moon and Crescent Party (PBB) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

On the other hand, parties such as the National Awakening Party (PKB) and National Mandate Party (PAN) belonged to the Muslim-oriented category. These parties draw their support mainly from the Muslim communities, but they also espouse a “religion neutral state ideology” (Pancasila) and are inclusive towards non-Muslims along their membership (Kadir 2004). The large number of Islamic political parties’ existence illustrate the divisions and diversity of opinions among the Indonesian Muslims.

With an overwhelming Muslim population (87%), there is the hypothetical risk for the “tyranny of the majority” situation to occur in Indonesia (Salim 2007). What if the Muslim constituents decide to vote in overwhelming numbers for Islamic political parties? It could be seen as a mandate for these parties to apply Shariah laws across all spectrums of the state and society. The non-Muslim minorities would be numerically helpless to oppose it. However, thelow-level of support for Islamic political parties from previous elections persisted into the 2009 April General Election seem to offer some respite.

Despite evidence of growing conservatism and Islamic influence such as the 2008 Anti-Pornography Bill and the increasing numbers of Shariah provincial bylaws, the overall support for Islamic political parties actually fell to their lowest level in the 2009 April General Election since the post-Soeharto years (Fealy 2009). When this trend is viewed together with the Democratic Party’s runaway success in the same election, it became clear that Muslim constituents are not voting solely on their religious belief. There are two possible reasons for this occurrence: the constituent’s personal socio-economic concerns and the existence of serious internal divisions among the various Islamic political parties.

Over the last two years, Lembaga Survei Indonesia (Indonesian Survey Institute) surveys revealed the constituents’ “shrinking confidence in Islamic parties’ ability to address pressing socio-economic issues” (Fealy 2009). Compared to previous administrations, Indonesia achieved a period of stable economic growth under Yudhoyono’s first presidential term. Yudhoyono was politically acute to include members of Islamic political parties into his cabinet. The combination of his ability to deliver steady economic growth and inclusion of ministers from Islamic political parties in his cabinet enables him to capture the confidence of the majority moderate Muslims.

Second, over the recent years, serious internal cracks have emerged among the three of the four largest Islamic political parties. Since 2004, PKB was headed by four different chairmen and has been involved in legal exchanges with other rival groups. The PPP suffered from faction divisions and inapt leadership due to personality and sectional differences. The PAN was deeply divided among over its nomination for the 2009 July Presidential election. These splits do not aid the parties’ causes but has resulted in further alienation from their support bases.

This essay has demonstrated that there not strong correlation between rising religion fervour and its challenge to the Pancasila philosophy. It also highlighted that at the polling booth, the majority of the Indonesia Muslim constituents would both consider both the secular-nationalist and a wide range of Islamic political parties partially the parties’ abilities to address socio-economic issues. For the reasons, it is currently safe to assume that current state of political Islam in Indonesia does not threat the Pancasila state.

References
Fealy, Greg. “Indonesia’s Islamic parties in decline” Inside Story. May 11 2009. http://inside.org.au/indonesia%E2%80%99s-islamic-parties-in-decline/ (accessed October 27, 2009)

Hefner, R.W. “Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratization in Indonesia” Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000

Kadir, Suzaina. “Mapping Muslim politics in Southeast Asia after September 11” The Pacific Review, vol. 17, no. 2 (2004): 199-222.

Means, Gordon P. “Political Islam in Southeast Asia” 93-118. Malaysia: Strategic Information and Research Development Centre, 2009.

Salim, Arksal. “Muslim Politics in Indonesia’s Democratization: The Religious Majority and the Rights of Minorities in the Post-Suharto Era” in Indonesia: Democracy and the Promise of Good Governance, McLeod, Ross and MacIntyre, eds., Singapore: ISEAS, 2007

Ufen, Andreas. “Mobilising Political Islam: Indonesia and Malaysia Compared” Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, vol. 47, no. 3 (2009): 308-333.

Last month in a period of three weeks, I visited five China cities. This trip could be sum up in three phrases: physical exhilarating, cultural enriching and  geo-political awareness enlightening.The visit included UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Huangshan (often referred by Chinese as “The number one mountain under the Heavens”), the ancient Chinese Village of Hongcun, the classical gardens of Suzhou,  the burial ground of the founder and first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty – Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and Hangzhou’s West Lake (featured on the RMB 1 dollar note).

Despite making this trip by myself, I never felt alone. I had the good fortune of travelling and interacting with many kind, helpful and interesting people (backpacking tourists and local residents) in every city along my journey. There is always a friend company in a hostel or along the streets. Such are the joys of backpacking

My travel began from Anhui Province (Tunxi, Huangshan, Yixian, Shexian) to Zhejiang Province (Hangzhou) to Jiangsu Province (Suzhou and Nanjing) and finally China’s largest city – Shanghai. These authentic sights and the opportunities to interact with the local residents are captured in the following highlights.

	A. Shanghai – Huangshan Overnight Sleeper Train My journey began when I caught an soft-sleeper overnight train from Shanghai to Huangshan (K8418, cabin interior). During the 15 hours journey, I chatted and shared my travel plans with many other travellers from different countries including Japan, USA, Sri Lanka and of course China. Soon I got acquainted with a young Chinese couple and we decided to hike Huangshan together. Pictures of K8418 Shanghai to Huangshan overnight sleeper train ride
	B. Tunxi Old Street After a long train ride, I decided to stay overnight in Tunxi town (where the Huangshan railway station) was located. I stayed in Old Street Youth Hostel, where the area’s old architectures were preserved and now transformed into tourism-oriented enclave. Pictures from the Tunxi downtown,youth hostel and the Old Street.
	C. Huangshan Huangshan in Anhui’s province is one of China’s most scenic spots. The mountain range is characterised by numerous gravity defying odd-shaped pine trees, steep trails, deep gorges with lush greenery and grotesque rock formations representing the arch-typical Chinese landscape (shanshui) paintings. With my new founded Chinese friends, we began our 2 days hike from the Western Steps (also known as the back entrance) and exit from the Eastern Steps as recommended by the hostel. The Western Steps landscape is filled with numerous strange and interesting rock formations such as Monkey Gazing at the Sea, Fairy Lady Flower and the Mobile Phone rock. The Eastern Steps is more steep and gives you the opportunity to appreciate the majestic mountainous range. Many other celebrated sights include Yingke Song (Welcome Guest Pine) and the Tiandu Feng (Apex of the Celestial Capital Peak). Pictures of my hike around Huangshan.
	D. Hongchun and Tangyue Memorial Archway Apart from the Huangshan, there are another two popular tourist attractions which can be easily managed by oneself without booking those overpriced guided tours. They are Hongcun village and the Tangyue Memorial Archways. Just travel like the locals and use the long distance public buses from Huangshan long distance bus terminal to get to Yixan and Shexian counties respectively. D1. Hongcun Village Fans of Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon movie must make a trip to Hongcun. Part of the movie was filmed in this village. Hongcun and (nearby) Xidi are two ancient Chinese villages listed in UNSECO World Heritage. Hongcun with its water features and distinct Anhui architecture has becomes a popular subject amongst many Chinese art students. In 2004, this cherished village was commemorated as part of a China Post “Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui” stamp series. Pictures of Hongcun village. D2. Tangyue Memorial Archway The Tangyue Memorial Archway is a series of seven arches built between the Ming and Qing dynasties. These arches commemorated the virtues of loyalty, filial piety, women’s chastity, justice, moral integrity and charity by the village inhabitants and served as a reminder for future generation. Pictures of Tangyue Memorial Archway
	E. Hangzhou – West Lake, Lingyin Temple, Longjing Village Around the prosperous city of Hangzhou lies one of China’s most popular attraction, the famed West Lake or Xihu. The beauty and the wealth of this city led to a claim that Hangzhou“beyond dispute (is) the finest and the noblest in the world” attributed to Marco Polo. When I was finally able to pull myself from West Lake sights, I visited Lingyin Temple (Temple of the Soul’s Retreat), one of China’s largest monastery and Longjing Village. Longjing Village is the famed green tea growing area that grows the popular Longjing tea (龙井茶). During my visit, I was invited to a farmer’s actual house and had the opportunity to sample the different grades of Longjing tea. Pictures of the West Lake , Lingyin Temple, Leifeng Pagoda and Longjing tea.
	F. Suzhou 上有天堂, 下有苏杭 Above is heaven, below is Suhang (Suzhou and Hangzhou) This famous saying praises the beauties of Suzhou and Hangzhou. Suzhou often referred as the “Venice of the East” for its gardens, stone bridges and canals across the city. The beauty of Suzhou’s classical gardens was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage under the “Classical Gardens of Suzhou”. These gardens include Master of the Net Garden. The Master of the Net garden is the smallest of the classical gardens but because of its size, it was easy to appreciate the beauty of the garden. Pictures of Master of the Net garden and downtown Suzhou.
	G. Tongli About 27km from Suzhou, lies the small water village of Tongli. Within Tongli are picturesque waterways and bridges, famed garden (Tuisi Garden -Retreat and Reflection) and also China Sex Museum. Pictures of Tongli Village
	H. Nanjing Nanjing is capital of Jiangsu Province which include Suzhou. Nanjing (the Southen Capital), together with Beijing (the Northen Capital), Luoyang and Chang’an (now Xi’an) formed the “Four Historical capitals of China” (中国四大古都). Nanjing is also home to one of the largest concentration of tertiary institutions in China. This city is also the final resting places of major statesmen in Chinese history including Sun Yat-sen (founder of the post-imperial China) and Emperor Hongwu (Zhu Yuanzhang, founder and first emperor of the Ming Dynasty). Travelling to Nanjing from Shanghai is easy and comfortable via a 3 hours train ride on China Railway Highspeed (CRH) trains Pictures of Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and modern downtown Nanjing.
	I. Shanghai Shanghai, China’s largest city and the symbol of China’s growing economic stature on the world’s stage. Ever since the days of the Western nations trade concessions settlements, Shanghai has been one of Asia’s financial and trading hub. The modern Shanghai is now a buzzing, vibrant and energetic metropolis. The energy of this city is simply tremendous.There is something for everyone in this city. For arts fans, the Shanghai Museum is a treat. This museum housed an mind boggling first class collection of Chinese arts including pottery, ancient currency and sculptures. To appreciate the origins and the development of this city, the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre is a must, even just to see the mini model of the city sprawl. Fans of la mien and xiao long baos, you can finally have one’s fill in Shanghai. While you’re there, get introduced to shenjian too, a dish similar to xiao long. The Shanghainese cuisine is more noodles and bread based. Let’s just say, I had my fill of xiao long and dumplings for a very long time. For the defenders of the world’s economy (aka shopaholic), after your saving rounds in Ginza or Fifth Avenue, you will have your hands full in Huaihai Lu and Nanjing Lu. Pictures of downtown Shanghai (including the Bund, Jinmao Tower and the Bund). Pictures of artistic shots of the city (Art in the City- Shanghai). Pictures of Shanghai Museum (a selection from the pottery, ancient currency and sculptures). Pictures of St Ignatius Cathedral (Xiujiahui).

You can view my additional China holiday pictures trip from my 2009-Anhui-Zhejiang-Jiangsu-Shanghai-Trip collection.

When I graduated from Monash University in 2004, I received more than just a Computing education. The experiences and opportunities in Monash opened my eyes and spurred my desire to understand a larger and interconnected world of knowledge and disciplines. My time in Monash has also encouraged me to boldy pursue my interests and passion which is the manner I want to live my life.

I thought the distinguished alumni featured in this videos perfectly described the capability and potential of this young and fine institution – Monash University.

Related link: Honouring our distinguished alumni (Monash University)

- Picture taken near North Melbourne station

Remember the Chaser’s 2007 APEC Summit Osama security stunt (see youtube video)? The new season of the Chaser (War on Everything) returns on ABC1 in midst of the swine flu (H1N1 influenza) pandemic.

As a general advertised health alert, all fans and new viewers are strongly encouraged to wear those little blue facial masks and stay at home especially on Wed, 27 May for further updates.

You have been warned! The City of Sydney council does not treat illegal parking offence lightly and they make sure you get the message.

Picture taken in Dawes Point, Sydney facing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The Singapore Institute of International Affairs is organising a free public talk on the first 100 days on President Obama’s administration on Saturday, 23 May 2009 at The Pod, Level 16, National Library. This event is especially tailored for youths aged 13–25.

Join Dr Dawn Dekle, Dean of the Centre for Leadership at S.P. Jain Center of Management, as she explains the contexts, backgrounds and issues facing the Obama Administration.

Due to limited seating availability, registration is required.

This event is co-organised by the National Library Board Singapore and School of Thought.

For more informatiom, please visit The Obama Administration’s First 100 Days (SIIA) link.

Picture credit:António Lopes

The sub-prime mortgage crisis which erupted in the US back in 2007 has now besieged the global financial system, with no definite end in sight. During the April 2009 presentation at the Lowy Institute, the Asian Development Bank’s economists highlighted that this recession’s timing is unprecedented – hitting both developed and developing economics. This situation has made it harder to stage a recovery.

In order to break the current economic vicious spiral, Hernando de Soto (Institute for Liberty and Democracy, Peru) advocates the urgent need to ascertain and come clean about the extent of the remaining toxic assets (financial derivatives). He also warned of the impending social unrest and the loss of the developing economies’ confidence in the global financial system. This could happen if the US doesn’t apply its economic policy prescriptions for crisis-wracked developing economics to its own institutions.

The main source of the current financial woe is the uncertainty surrounding the toxic assets. It has been two years since the sub-prime mortgage crisis, yet these toxic assets still exist somewhere in the financial institutions’ balance sheets. The same questions still remain, “How much (toxic assets) still exist, and who owns them?”. This unknown has allowed fears to flow from Wall Street to Main Street and crippled the real economy.

Meantime, Secretary Geithner has set aside 1 trillion dollars to purchase these toxic assets. From the start of the crisis, 60 trillion dollars of real losses have already occurred in relation to the assets in question. The market’s irrational behaviour is clearly due to the lack of independent assessment of these toxic assets. Governments and the financial institutions needs to face up to the truth without further delay, collect the data and clearly identify the bad assets’ owners and ascertain their true value.

Some institutions may collapse as a result of these tests but those who have brought us to this state of affairs will have to face up to their deeds.

There will be grave challenges for global financial systems if developed economies like the US do not take the bitter pill and introduce stronger corporate governance, as advocated by the IMF during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. These challenges include:

a) Developing economics increased suspicion of the global financial model and its real benefits

During the recent G20 London Summit, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown declared that “the Washington Consensus is over”. Developing economics that have suspected all along that they were not getting a fair deal from currently financial model will conclude that they are “getting more of the same”. The US Treasury and the Federal Reserve have to take this opportunity to deliver on promises of stricter governance and higher regulatory standards to control financial institutions.

b) Greater risk of social unrest after repeated and excessive publicly funded bailouts

Billions of dollars in public funding have been spent to prop up these ailing institutions and companies in the name of national economic stability (“Too large to fail“). At the same time, there are homeless, unemployed and impoverished people out on the streets who are questioning the lack of support for their situation. If these corporate bailouts do not work and indirectly keep those responsible for this crisis in their positions, many poor and disfranchised people will have had their legitimate needs unmet, and very possibly be a source of social unrest as they protest against the injustice and ineffectualness of these corporate bailouts.

In this global financial crisis, we have to stop fear in its tracks and recognise the losses before we can move on to the path of socio-economic stability and recovery.

This is a repost of an article piece first published for the Singapore Institute of International Affairs Global Citizen’s Blog.

Last Friday, I took part in a Team Fatbird’s Sundown Marathon Route Familiarisation Run as part of my preparation for the May Sundown Marathon. I estimated more than 60 runners turned up for this community run, which began around 9pm. This is quite an impressive turnout for an event that was promoted mainly via Facebook and the word of mouth.

The running route (linked below) started from ECP Car Park C4 and went along the parts of the Eastern Coastal Park Connector Network. It offered runners an opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of the eastern suburbs including Siglap, Tampines, Pasir Ris and Loyang.

Good thing, there were committee members from Team Fatbird dispersed among the different running packs. One’s concentration can take a serious beating during a long distance overnight run. Anthony, David and the other  Team Fatbird run pacers played an important role to lead the various running packs, chit chatting along the way and keeping motivation high among the trainees. A special mention goes out to Max for providing taking pictures of the runners along the route. The photos opportunities brought out the smiles of many.

Almost 4 hours 30mins later, drenched in perspiration and really yearning for my bed, I finally arrived at the finishing line. Ah Beng and Suan made the tiredness almost disappear with their wonderful hospitality with food and drinks donated by others.

This well attended run is a great testimony to the enthusiasm, dedication and generosity of the Singapore running community. To all who had donated resources to organise this event and participated in this run, THANK YOU!

Pictures taken by Max Ang (feetoffurry)

Related links:

• Night Hawk #8 – Sundown Familiarization #1 Post-Run Report
• 35km and 55km Routes

Good news, friends! Since last month, I joined the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) as an intern under the Eric Teo Global Citizens Internships programme. Founded in 1961, the SIIA is Singapore’s oldest think tank dedicated to the research, analysis and discussion of regional & international issues.

A unique feature of SIIA’s programmes is its commitment to public education including students and the general public population through events such as 938LIVE in NIE: What Does ASEAN Mean to You? (past) and the upcoming The Obama Administration’s First 100 Days forum (23 May 09).

During the last month with the organisation, I was introduced to the concept of “Track II diplomacy“, the various ASEAN foras, the various think tanks and special interests groups based in Singapore and the opportunity to be involved in the think tank’s flagship event – 2nd ASEAN & ASIA Forum.

I also enjoy the company I made within the organisation especially over lunch and tea discussion about philosophy and political/ economic theories. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be introduced to this environment before I return back to the university this July.