Whose Agenda? “Partnership” and International Assistance to Democratization and Governance Reform in Indonesia

Abstract

This article examines the Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia, described as an innovative co-operation arrangement among the Indonesian government, civil society organizations, the private sector and Indonesia's international development partners. It inquires into whose prevails. Is there genuine national ownership, with subordination of external activities to locally-devised reform strategies, as claimed? Alternatively, is partnership merely the latest ploy to disguise international intervention and simultaneously accord it greater legitimacy? Such questions are addressed by two means: first, by exploring whether the Partnership's reform agenda coincides with the main challenges to sustained democratization in Indonesia; and secondly, by examining the structure and activities of the Partnership and whether Indonesian or international influences predominate.