Guided Democracy, 1957–65

Abstract

In the midst of the crisis of 1957, the first steps were taken towards a form of government which Sukarno called ‘guided democracy’. This was a fluid system, born of crisis and constantly changing through the most disturbed period of Indonesian history since the revolution. Guided democracy was dominated by the personality of Sukarno, although he shared the initiative for its introduction with the army leadership. At the time some observers saw Sukarno as a dictator and as his posturing grew more flamboyant some were inclined to see him as an aging caricature. He was neither of these things. Sukarno was a skilled manipulator of men and of symbols. He could harangue a crowd or charm a potential adversary with equal ease, although he was also very adept at hating his enemies. He offered Indonesians something to believe in, something which many hoped would give them and their nation dignity and pride. Other powerful forces turned to him for guidance, legitimacy or protection. Having thrust himself forward in the crisis of 1957, he was joined by others in maintaining his central position. But this was all in support of a political balance which not even Sukarno could maintain, one which represented a compromise among irreconcilable interests and was therefore satisfactory to no one. Although Sukarno had a vision of his own future, he had none (or at least none which others could in the end accept) for the future of his nation and its people. The promise of guided democracy was an empty one.