The former President of Indonesia, Professor B.J. Habibie, changed the political system of Indonesia totally within the short period from May 1998 to October 1999. Within this period significant legal concessions had been granted such as freedom of expression, approval of new political parties and introduction of democratic legitimated institutions. Through an effective policy of democratization, he maintained the national unity trough the establishment of autonomous entities (districts, cities).

Christian J. Hegemer, the former director of Hanns Seidel Foundation in Jakarta, started early to support the Indonesian Government on the long road to democratization. In 1999 the Hanns Seidel Foundation was committed to conduct joint seminars and conferences with the newly established political think-tank “The Habibie Center”. These events focused on internal reforms of this country, the new orientation of Indonesian democracy, legal structure, and generally on the formulation of a democratic concept for Indonesia based on norms and values of this country. This year, the significance of women and gender equality in policy making was highlighted. In the cooperation program women candidates for the Indonesian parliament and then, newly elected female parliamentarians had been trained on various issues. Main target of this training program is to strengthen the capacities of women to be better involved in political decision making, as well as administrative and social issues. These activities contributed partly to the increased proportion of women in the Indonesian parliament from 11% to 18%. After all, five women were given a ministerial post in the cabinet of the newly elected government under the President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

A highlight of this cooperation was in August 2009, when Prof. B.J. Habibie, the former President of Indonesia, launched his book "517 Days Indonesia - Birth of a Democracy" translated in the German language. This event, which has been conducted at the conference Center of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Munich, was attended by many distinguished guests from politics, economy and society. Dr. Heinrich Seemann, former German Ambassador to Indonesia, and Christian J. Hegemer, actual Head of the Institute for International Contact and Cooperation of HSF, delivered remarkable speeches in honor of Professor Habibie.

In early November 2009, another highlight was celebrated: the 10th Anniversary of the Habibie Center. Speakers at this event emphasized the good cooperation between the two organizations and its future potential. The numerous meetings between representatives of the Habibie Center and the Hanns Seidel Foundation showed that the good cooperation is also based on personal relations. Related to that, the two organizations plan also to conduct further joint programs in the future. Beside the extension of the initiated gender training for women legislator, there are plans to start an ASEAN-Europe Policy Dialogue with following focal points: the economic ASEAN integration and its impacts for small and medium enterprises, environmental policies in ASEAN countries, as well as democratization and human rights.

The work of the Hanns-Seidel-Foundation in Indonesia aims particularly to strengthen the performance of legal institutions in Indonesia to improve the rules of law in the largest Islamic country of the world. At the suggestion of the former Indonesian President B.J. Habibie, the Hanns-Seidel Foundation facilitated a forum for Constitutional Reform supporting the establishment of a Constitutional Court in Indonesia (Mahkamah Konstitusi Republik Indonesia/MKRI) in 2003. Since this time the cooperation with this institution consists on following components:

• Conducting of joint expert workshops and roundtable discussions to verdicts of the Indonesian Constitutional Court. These events are particularly oriented on the needs of students and members of local parliaments, and thus contributing to a kind of civic education for these target groups.
• Carrying out of an exchange of experience with German experts in constitutional law. In particular, the lecture tours of the German Constitutional Judge, Professor Bross, to Indonesia are an important element of this cooperation.
• Carrying out of knowledge exchange with representatives of the German Constitutional Court through delegation travels to Karlsruhe, Munich and Strasbourg.

An important supporter of this cooperation is still the German Constitutional Court judge, Professor Dr. Siegfried Bross, who already held lectures on several issues at Indonesian Universities and law institutions. Highlights of this information exchange are especially the mutual visits of high court judges to Germany and Indonesia. Early November 2008, the former President of the Indonesian Constitutional Court, Professor Dr. Jimly Asshiddiqie, had the opportunity, to get information on the work and functions of the Federal Constitutional Court and other major law institutions in Germany. In a return invitation, Professor Bross presented at the Indonesian Constitutional Court the Indonesian version of his publication "The German Constitutional Law - Selected Case Studies". Professor Bross has been awarded with an honorary doctorate for his achievements at the Islamic University in Yogyakarta during a ceremony with about 600 participants, including the Indonesian Minister of Education.

In 2009 the cooperation program could be extended with a reciprocal exchange between constitutional judges from Germany and Indonesia. Professor Bross delivered lecturers in Indonesia to following issues: the role of the Federal Constitutional Court in the conduct and evaluation of public elections, political party financing, as well as the approval of political parties through the Constitutional Court.

In return, a delegation of the Indonesian Constitutional Court and associated Universities led by President Professor Mahfud conducted a delegation travel to Karlsruhe, Heidelberg and Munich. This delegation had the opportunity, to receive first hand information on the structure and activities of German law institutions. Particularly the knowledge exchange with justices of the German Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe was of great interest. Furthermore the delegation visited the Max-Planck-Institute for Comparative Public and International Law in Heidelberg. Scientists of this institute presented research results on the development of constitutional law especially in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.

The future program of the cooperation between the Indonesian Constitutional Court and HSF had been discussed at HSF headquarters in Munich. The shape of this program is as following:

• Further conduct of expert workshop and roundtable discussion to specific verdicts of the Constitutional Court for specific target groups, especially members of local parliaments.
• Qualification of young constitutional law experts through provision of scholarships at law faculties in German Universities.
• Conduct of lecturing tours and knowledge exchange with German Experts in Constitutional Law, who respond specifically to the needs of their Indonesian counterparts.

The Hanns Seidel Foundation supports also the biggest Islamic mass movement in Indonesia, the Nadlatul Ulama (NU), in carrying out of specific training programs. This organization, which comprises more than 40 Millions believers, elaborated specific training modules on the issue of “Democratization and Islam” based on their specific interpretation of Islam teaching. The religious philosophy of NU is deeply rooted in a synthesis of Islam and Javanese culture. Within this frame work the Islamic orientation of this Moslem Organization is strongly oriented on a national approach, integrating the different beliefs in Indonesia under the umbrella of “diversity in unity”.

Related to that, NU has successfully developed a module on civic education in cooperation with Hanns Seidel Foundation. This module is not only limited to be applied by members/functionaries of the NU, but also by other Islamic mass organization in Indonesia. The aim of this cooperation is to promote civic rights of Indonesian citizen stated in the Indonesian constitution.

The module on civic education comprises following sections: “The Constitution as Platform for the National State”, "Rights and Obligations of Citizens", "National Integration and Unity," "Democracy and Democratic Culture ", "Human Rights", "Pluralism and Tolerance", "Dialogue on Peace and Inter-Cultural Relation", “Gender Equality ", as well as "Methods and Tools of Conflict Mediation". This module, which can be easily applied by religious communities, is using specific surah of the holly book Quran as reference for their interpretation of above mentioned issues.

The NU is a long term partner of Hanns Seidel Foundation. The cooperation started in 2005 with a joint program to support the province of Aceh after the Tsunami through vocational training measures for school teachers at NU schools. After that, this program has been extended to religious schools in Java and other provinces in Sumatra. Within this frame work HSF has sent a NU delegation to China, to visit successful vocational education projects in this country. The gained experience could be partly transferred to improve the existing vocational schools system of NU in Indonesia. Since 2009 HSF is assisting the civic education program of NU through workshops and trainings in Jakarta, as well as West- and East Java. For the next future it is also planned, to elaborate and apply modules on the issue “Islam and Environmental Education” for followers of this Islamic mass organization.

A further partner of Hanns Seidel Foundation at regional level is the Asia-Europe Foundation. This foundation is a Singapore based “think tank” providing inputs to the annual meetings of the international organization ASEM. One section of ASEF is focusing on democratization and improved rule of law, especially in Asia and transformation countries in former communist East Europe. The joint activities started in 2005 and are actually focusing on following topics:

• Access to justice for Asian and European transitional countries,
• best practices in democratic policing
• the ombudsman system as entry point for improved public access to government institutions and better public services, as well as
• constitutional justice and strengthening of law

The cooperation with ASEF serves to transfer achieved results in the field of democratization and rule of law to a regional level. An example for that is the actual cooperation between HSF and the Indonesian Constitutional Court, which provides significant inputs for the actual engagement of ASEF on the issue “Constitutional Justice and Strengthening of Law”.