Depoliticization of Indonesia's Political Parties: Attaining Military Stability

Abstract

This article examines the politicization of the Indonesian military between 1945 and 1966 and its subsequent depoliticization of the nation's political parties. Examined also are the ways in which the military-dominated government has (1) interfered in the election of party leaders, (2) formed a government-backed party to contest elections, (3) consolidated the opposition parties into two dissension-ridden groups, (4) banned partisan activity at the local level, (5) staged symbolic national elections, and (6) compelled parties to adopt the national ideology as their sole organizing principle. Indonesia's experiences suggest that military-dominated regimes in modernizing societies can temporarily enhance political stability by emasculating political parties during periods of rapid economic growth. But it demonstrates also that long-term stability necessitates the creation of a mass party or movement outside the military's organizational structure that can mobilize genuine popular support.