Page 179 - Demo

162Islam, Democracy and Human Rights in Contemporary Indonesiabuilding strong democratic institutions. Examples include Chile(GDP per capita: USD 12,700), Hong Kong (USD 25,200),Taiwan (USD 12,000), Singapore (USD 28,000), South Korea(USD 13,600), and China (USD 12,732).Other Studies and Economic FactorsA number of other studies, particularly by economists,conclude that democracy is not the primary determinant ofeconomic development performance. There are many otherinfluencing variables%u2014among them, education.If Indonesia%u2019s education development is rated by the GlobalLeague (2016) as among the worst in the world, then it naturallyfollows that the quality of our democracy mirrors that condition.Another school of thought argues that a country%u2019s rule oflaw is a key determinant of the quality of its democracy. If theapplication of law in Indonesia remains among the lowest inthe world, and corruption continues to flourish, then we cannotexpect much from a democracy that is flawed at its core toadvance this nation.The Product of Four General Elections Since the ReformEraA brief look at the results of elections conducted under theopen proportional system reveals several concerning outcomes:First, our legislators and the government have producedlaws whose implementation is far removed from the senseof justice. Indonesia%u2019s Rule of Law Index continues to decline,standing at 0.52 (2021)%u2014meaning that out of every ten cases,only about five are judged as fair. In comparison, Singapore