Legislators and members of Indonesia's main opposition party voiced concern about corruption and a rise in the introduction of Islamic laws by local governments, during a visit to IFES headquarters June 7. The delegates, all members of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, (known by its Bahasa Indonesia acronym PDI-P) said it is important for the United States to pay attention to these trends and work with Indonesian citizens to preserve Indonesia as an "open, free and tolerant" society.

"Indonesia is living proof that Islam and democracy can coexist and prosper," said PDI-P Member Helmy Fauzy of the world's largest Muslim country. However, the lawmakers pointed out that Islamist parties recently gained government posts at the local level and are putting into place Islamic laws, or Sharia, that they said conflict with the national constitution.

Surveys in Indonesia suggest that Islamist ideas can be attractive to a significant percentage of voters with concerns about corruption, security and economic disparity. IFES has conducted surveys in Indonesia since 1998, and plans to carry out a series of tracking surveys for the 2009 parliamentary and presidential elections.

PDI-P, led by former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, became an opposition party after the 2004 elections. Hasto Kristiyanto, a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives, said his party still is learning about the role opposition parties play in a democratic system, how they should function in parliament and their relationship to the executive branch of government.

"One of our difficulties of being the opposition is to provide alternative policies, so to be in the opposition is not just to criticize the government," he said.

The delegates praised IFES for its work in enhancing the credibility of Indonesia's Regional Representative Council, one of the country's two legislative bodies. IFES' project works to improve the legislators' communication skills and better connect them with their constituencies.

IFES President Jean-Pierre Kingsley said that while it is challenging to be a member of an opposition party, such legislators play a vital role in safeguarding the democratic system. He said IFES, a nonpartisan democracy-building organization, looks forward to working with all parties in preparation for the 2009 elections.

Also representing IFES were Executive Vice President Jim Vermillion, Senior Director of Communications and Research Dorin Tudoran, Europe and Asia Regional Director Michael Svetlik, Europe and Asia Deputy Director Chad Vickery, Research Manager Rakesh Sharma, Program Officer Kyle Lemargie, Program Coordinator Catherine Kannam and Consultant Robert Dahl.