Indonesian Elections Give Reason for Hope??

I got this email today from a missionary ministry that is over in this part of the world...thought some of you might find it interesting and worthy of debate:

Indonesian elections just held were the first completely nonviolent elections in the country's history
- and the incumbent was defeated. We wonder why this is not bigger news.

Indonesia is ethnically diverse, but largely Muslim, with a history of corruption, ethnic violence and terrorism. Still a leader was elected who was focused on rooting out Islamic terrorists. 80% of the people turned out to vote. Things went too smoothly to justify much international attention.

Sensitive western intellectuals are wringing their hands worrying about Afghan elections. Decades of Taliban control, Russian resistance and poor governance degraded the chronically low level of civilization that previously existed in the country. Under the Taliban many women were not even allowed outdoors and had the windows of their houses blackened. Now Afghanistan has 10 million men and women registered to vote - and a female presidential candidate. Still groups in the West fret that women may be intimidated at the polls, thus rendering Afghan elections less than perfect.

Afghanistan is not Canada. It has a long way to go to achieve elections as we think of them in the West, but we didn't start out perfect by today's standards either -- women and blacks did not achieve the right to vote until the US had matured as a democracy. Canadian elections still have ingrained improprieties. Democracy in Central Asia is rough and ready. But the mere fact that it is happening is an historical event of staggering proportions.

Indonesia has already proved that an Islamic country can have free and fair elections. But the media prefer disaster to simple success. The work there has gone far too well to gain much attention.