Indonesia

Indonesia is a nation in South East Asia. Indonesia has thousands of islands and shares borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Malaysia. It also has maritime borders with Singapore, Philippines, Australia.

## History

### Post-Independence

The Japanese occupation of Indonesia during the Second World War ended Dutch rule and encouraged the previously suppressed Indonesian independence movement. Two days after the surrender of Japan in August 1945, Sukarno, an influential nationalist leader, declared independence and was appointed President. The Netherlands tried to reestablish their rule, and the resulting conflict ended in December 1949, when in the face of international pressure, the Dutch formally recognised Indonesian independence with the exception of the Dutch territory of West New Guinea, which was incorporated into Indonesia following the 1962 New York Agreement, and the UN-mandated Act of Free Choice of 1969 which was questionable and has resulted in a longtime independence movement.

Sukarno moved Indonesia from democracy towards authoritarianism, and maintained his power base by balancing the opposing forces of the military and the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI). An attempted coup on 30 September 1965 was countered by the army, who led a violent anti-communist purge, during which the PKI was blamed for the coup and effectively destroyed. The head of the military, General Suharto, outmaneuvered the politically weakened Sukarno and was formally appointed president in March 1968. His New Order administration was supported by the US government, and encouraged foreign direct investment in Indonesia, which was a major factor in the subsequent three decades of substantial economic growth. However, the authoritarian "New Order" was widely accused of corruption and suppression of political opposition.

Indonesia was the country hardest hit by the late 1990s Asian financial crisis. This led to popular protest against the New Order which led to Suharto's resignation in May 1998. In 1999, East Timor voted to secede from Indonesia, after a twenty-five-year military occupation of the former Portuguese that was marked by international condemnation of repression of the East Timorese. Since Suharto's resignation, a strengthening of democratic processes has included a regional autonomy program, and the first direct presidential election in 2004. Political and economic instability, social unrest, corruption, and terrorism slowed progress; however, in the last five years the economy has performed strongly. Although relations among different religious and ethnic groups are largely harmonious, sectarian discontent and violence have persisted. A political settlement to an armed separatist conflict in Aceh was achieved in 2005. Joko Widodo was elected as President in 2014 Indonesian presidential election.

## Government and Politics

Indonesia is a republic with a presidential system. As a unitary state, power is concentrated in the central government. The president of Indonesia is the head of state and head of government, commander-in-chief of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, and the director of domestic governance, policy-making, and foreign affairs. The president appoints a council of ministers, who are not required to be elected members of the legislature. The president may serve a maximum of two consecutive five-year terms. The highest representative body at national level is the People's Consultative Assembly.

Its main functions are supporting and amending the constitution, inaugurating the president, and formalizing broad outlines of state policy. It has the power to impeach the president.The MPR comprises two houses; the People's Representative Council, with 560 members, and the Regional Representative Council, with 132 members. The DPR passes legislation and monitors the executive branch; party-aligned members are elected for five-year terms by proportional representation.

### Administrative Divisions

Indonesia consists of seven main regions:

* Sumatra
* Java
* Kalimantan
* Lesser Sunda Islands
* Sulawesi
* Maluku Islands
* Western New Guinea

These seven regions are divided into 34 provinces, each of has its own legislature and governor. Aceh, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Papua and West Papua have higher degrees of autonomy from the central government.

### Foreign Relations

Indonesia is a founding member of ASEAN, and is a member of the APEC and G-30 economic summits. Indonesia is the largest recipient of Australia's foreign development aid, and the two countries maintain strong defence ties. However, relations have been strained in the past due to disputes over East Timor, West Papua, the execution of Australian drug smugglers and asylum seeker tow-backs. Indonesia also maintains close relations with the United States, Thailand, China and the European Union.