Human Rights and Democracy in Indonesia and Malaysia: Emerging Contexts and Discourse

Despite some convergence, differences are evident between state and non-state perspectives in Indonesia and Malaysia. Both governments perceive threats to national stability and social harmony from too rapid political liberalization. Counter-discourse in Indonesia can be divided into two broad streams. The first seeks to fuse liberal-democratic insti­tutions with more open versions of Pancasila ideology; the second to link socio-economic with political transformation. Official responses combine repression with absorption of liberal democratic concepts into “integralist “ versions of Pancasila. Reform efforts in Malaysia centre on applying consistent “rule of law” principles to established “Westminster”-type democratic institutions. However, the non-state sector enjoys relatively limited space, while various internationally-oriented and Islamic agendas diffuse energies for domestic reform.