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Journalism of Courage
The old order ends in Indonesia with President Suharto stepping down after 32 years in power in the wake of economic crisis and political chaos. A new order is still to be born. Suharto8217;s nominated successor, the widely disliked vice president, Jusuf Habibie, does not look like being the midwife at its birth even though his appointment runs to the year 2003. People8217;s power expressed in protests and riots culminating in Jakarta forced the longest serving dictator in Asia out of office but a poorly led, disorganised student movement is no guarantee of a democratic transition. Suharto rose to power by suppressing a left-wing revolt which left half a million dead. Over the next three decades, under his authoritarian regime Indonesia grew out of economic backwardness and emerged as a major Asian powerhouse. At his exit, Indonesia is crippled economically and politically. It took the Asian financial crises of 1997, consequent economic hardships and popular protests to expose the critical weakness at the heart ofthe country8217;s economy and political system.
Indonesia is left to evolve a workable political arrangement out of the unpopular remnants of the old regime including the new president and the dominant Golkar party, a rubber stamp People8217;s Consultative Assembly, and opposition formations which have not been able to develop as credible alternatives because of the repressive practices of the Suharto regime. In the absence of genuinely democratic institutions and conventions, the political transition is more than likely to be a period of prolonged turmoil. The army which has always played a major role in Indonesian politics and is popularly seen as a force for stability, has chosen for the time being to lend legitimacy to Suharto8217;s successor by backing him. But as economic pain increases with an expected runaway rate of inflation and cascading loss of jobs, the present arrangement may have to give way to a more overt military role in order to maintain peace and stability. In that event, the armed forces chief,General Wintaro, looks like the probable if reluctant candidate for the top job.
