Post Soeharto civil-military relation and democratization in Indonesia.

Abstract

The fall of Soeharto's regime in 1998 has brought drastic changes in Indonesia's political life; one of them is the nature of civil-military relations. As the journey toward democracy starts, the civil-military relation in Indonesia also fluctuates. To guard Indonesia democratization, the existence of "civilian supremacy" and "objective civilian control" are necessary conditions. Post Soeharto civil-military relations demonstrate improvement toward those conditions. The military role in politics is declining; its influence over socio-political life is not as dominant as in Soeharto's era. The civilians have also showed its confidence in exercising authority over the military. As a result, a suitable civil-military relation for democracy to grow has appeared.