[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 129 (Sunday, October 10, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1856]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONGRATULATING THE PEOPLE OF INDONESIA ON THEIR RECENT ELECTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. LEACH

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 7, 2004

  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, on September 20, 2004, Susilo Bambang 
Yudhoyono won a decisive victory in the final round of the first direct 
presidential election in the history of the Republic of Indonesia. 
However, the election was an even greater victory for the people of 
Indonesia in their remarkable transition to democracy.
  This has been a pivotal year for democratic institutions in 
Indonesia. Indonesia has conducted not one, but three complex national 
elections in 2004. They were the largest single-day elections in the 
world, and involved hundreds of millions of ballots, and more than 
500,000 polling stations spread across that vast archipelago. In April, 
I had the opportunity to visit the Indonesian National Elections 
Commission in Jakarta, and was impressed by the energy and 
determination with which its officials were confronting those 
logistical challenges. By any measure, their efforts were a profound 
success. Approximately 116 million people voted in the final round of 
the presidential election, over 10 million more than voted in the last 
presidential election in the United States.
  The people of Indonesia have effected credible, orderly, and peaceful 
elections of which they are deservedly proud. The magnitude of this 
accomplishment becomes apparent when we recall that Indonesia emerged 
from authoritarianism only six years ago, during an extended period of 
acute economic and social turmoil.
  Other observers have correctly cited Indonesia as proof that Islam 
and democracy can coexist, but it is more than that. Civil Islam in 
Indonesia has not been merely passive or coincidental with 
democratization, it has been a catalyst. We understand and appreciate 
the critical role that Islamic civil society has played in promoting 
democracy in Indonesia. I fully expect that Islamic mass organizations, 
universities, pesantren, and non-governmental organizations will 
continue to play an important part in developing the political culture 
and public expectations necessary to make Indonesia's nascent 
democratic institutions truly representative.
  We have high hopes for the new administration as it begins to address 
the significant challenges facing Indonesia. We wish them every success 
in promoting economic growth, peacefully resolving separatist and 
communal conflicts, improving the implementation of decentralization 
and regional autonomy, combating terrorism, and ensuring that the 
institutions that wield public power are fully accountable to the 
people of Indonesia. In sum, we share the aspiration of the Indonesian 
people for expanding and deepening the process of reformasi--the 
reformation of public institutions away from the corruption, collusion, 
and nepotism that have weakened them in years past.
  I would like to extend my personal congratulations to President-elect 
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President-elect Jusuf Kalla on their 
recent victory, and to thank President Megawati Sukarnoputri for her 
leadership and service to her country during the past three years. We 
look forward to the continuation of the cooperative relationship 
between our nations, and the steady growth in friendship between our 
peoples.

                          ____________________