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| Political System: Recommendations
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Democratization
- Democratization in Indonesia must be supported and allowed to continue to develop at a sure and steady pace. Support should be given for organizations that attempt to educate the Indonesian people, particularly in the provinces, on democracy’s goals and the nature of democratic citizenship.
Decentralization
- Efforts to decentralize the system of governance in Indonesia must be supported. Local analysts should be involved in ensuring that continued decentralization is carried out in an orderly and effective fashion.
- Support must be given to improve the planning of future decentralization efforts. Specialists must be given a role in creating strategies for Jakarta, and regional projects to prepare local governing institutions for their new roles should be considered. Both local and international NGOs and donors could have a role in this preparation.
- Attention must be paid to details such as improved regulation and supervision, good governance and accountability, and the continuation of basic services.
Absence of Stable Institutions
- The government and civil society of Indonesia need to develop strategies to build more effective institutions. These efforts should be fully supported by the international community and must be developed to create incentives for employees to make their institutions more effective and free from corruption.
- Among the most urgent needs are the development of a more efficient civil service, where employees are well-trained and adequately remunerated, and an independent and corruption-free judiciary that apportions accountability regardless of ethnic, religious, or power relationships.
Leadership
- Encouragement and support should be given to local NGOs that attempt to develop leadership training programs for young future Indonesian leaders. This training should teach leadership skills as well as develop an understanding of democracy, social justice, good governance, civil society and human rights.
- Local training programs for government officials, members of district parliaments and district leaders should also be further developed. These programs should also teach skills such as facilitation and community-based conflict resolution, as well as convey a basic understanding of the sustainable management of environmental resources.
- Strategies should be sought to expand excellent but small-scale projects, using those successful small projects as models.
Role of the Military
- An increase in military salaries could help eliminate corruption within the military and eliminate the incentive for rapacious behavior among soldiers and the resulting civilian hostility. Financial security could free time and energy for training troops, for example, on the rules of engagement and the humanitarian treatment of civilians. To pay for salary increases, a reduction in the total number of soldiers should be considered, as fewer but more professional soldiers could do the same job.
- In those crisis areas where professional behavior is paramount to the accomplishment of the mission, soldiers could be paid dramatically higher “combat pay” and could be provided with special funding for equipment.
- If military involvement in business continues to be necessary, ventures must be transparent and subject to the legal guidelines that apply to other Indonesian businesses and charities. An aggressive audit of military ventures and other off-budget activities should be considered.
- In addition, the police needs to be reformed and trained in non-violent methods of crowd control to act as an independent complement to the army.
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