Indonesia and Its Battle Against Poverty

The Republic of Indonesia is a country situated in Southeast Asia that is composed of approximately 15,000 individual islands, thus the nation is recognized as the world's largest archipelago. The capital and largest city of this island nation is Jakarta, with a population of approximately ten million, it is also one of the world's most populated cities. Though the chain is officially composed of approximately 15,000 islands, several thousand of the islands are uninhabited or are inhabited by tribes that shun modern technologies. The country is also geographically located in between both the Indian and Pacific Oceans. As a result of it's geographic location and climate, the region is prone to hurricanes and other tropical storms. Indonesia is also densely populated with an estimated 245,450,700 inhabitants, making it the world's fourth most populous country following China, India, and the United States. Such a dense population also makes it the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.

The history of Indonesia is one of great length, as first historical accounts of the nation date back to the early 7th and 8th centuries. However, colonization of the country didn't begin until the Dutch arrived in the early 17th century. Since the arrival of the Dutch and the introduction of the nation as an important trading post, it has remained a vital aspect of the international shipping route. The country is known for exporting its fine spices and herbs, and thus has came to been known as the "spice islands". Since it was a popular stop along the international trade route, the islanders often came into contact with a variety of cultures, and thus their own culture has been influenced by aspects of Indian, Muslim, and European cultures. The Dutch colonial presence remained in Indonesia for a span of over three centuries, until Indonesian independence was declared on August 17, 1945.

One of the most important political figures in post-colonial Indonesia was a man known as Suharto. Suharto was born on June 8th, 1921 into the colonial Indonesia. In 1966, Suharto assumed the role as the interim President of the Republic of Indonesia, and eventually took office as the permanent President of the Republic of Indonesia. Suharto's presidency was characterized by his development of a strong government party known as the "New Order", and his oppression of opposing parties. Suharto was also an ally with the West, which made him subject to further criticism from opposition. During his tenure, he punished dissent and free speech, and he relied on the country's military for support. As president, Suharto attempted to revitalize the Indonesian economy, and was somewhat successful, however he utilized the country's economic prosperity for his own personal gain. Currently, he is recognized as being the 6th richest person in the world with a net worth of over sixteen billion U.S. dollars. Suharto resigned from the presidential office on May 21, 1998, which ended his thirty-one year long regime.

Another influential political figure in Indonesian history is Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri, who was the country's first leader born after independence, as well as being the country's first female president, a remarkable feat in a predominantly Muslim country. She was born on January 23, 1947, and was elected to the presidency from July 2001 to October 20, 2004. She is also the daughter of Indonesia's first president Sukarno, who declared independence from the Netherlands in 1945. The current and sixth president of Indonesia is a man named Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a retired military general and diplomat. In addition to being born into the "free" Indonesia, Susilo is also unique in that he is the first president elected by the popular consent of the people. Susilo hopes to build a strong, stable democracy in his home country, and thus is in the process of establishing democratic ideals. As well as establishing democracy in Indonesia, he also recognizes that he has a large issue in combating widespread poverty, as well as the physical rebuilding of the country after the December 2004 tsunami.

There are three major underlying issues in Indonesia today, that President Susilo and his administration are trying to rectify during his presidency, and those issues are: establishing a "new" democracy, poverty, and the devastating effects of the tsunami. The process of converting the government to a democracy is a challenge, because the country had only known autocratic rule since its birth as a nation. As well, the process involves ridding the government of corruption and decentralizing the government's power to avoid abuse. Additionally, the government is striving to create one universal rule of law for all judiciary bodies and regional governments to govern by. The second issue pertaining to Indonesia is the rampant poverty throughout the nation. Though the country does have some wealth, there is a large income disparity and there is virtually no middle-class. According to 2006 statistics, approximately 27.1 percent of the Indonesian population was below the poverty line, in comparison to the 12 percent that live below the poverty line in the United States. Another contributing factor to the widespread poverty and poor standards of living, is that rice is the predominant food staple for Indonesians, and the prices of rice have soared in recent years creating massive food shortages. The last major aspect on Susilo's agenda is to rebuild his country following the unfortunate tsunami in 2004. Though the tsunami affected other areas in Southeast Asia, Indonesia was hit the hardest. The tsunami and the earthquakes associated with it resulted in over $3 billion dollars in structural damage as well as over 250,000 deaths and 1.5 million people who were left homeless.