ad info




TIME Asia
TIME Asia Home
Current Issue
Magazine Archive
Asia Buzz
Travel Watch
Web Features
  Entertainment
  Photo Essays

Subscribe to TIME
Customer Services
About Us
Write to TIME Asia

TIME.com
TIME Canada
TIME Europe
TIME Pacific
TIME Digital
Asiaweek
Latest CNN News

Young China
Olympics 2000
On The Road

 ASIAWEEK.COM
 CNN.COM
  east asia
  southeast asia
  south asia
  central asia
  australasia
 BUSINESS
 SPORTS
 SHOWBIZ
 ASIA WEATHER
 ASIA TRAVEL


Other News
From TIME Asia

Culture on Demand: Black is Beautiful
The American Express black card is the ultimate status symbol

Asia Buzz: Should the Net Be Free?
Web heads want it all -- for nothing

JAPAN: Failed Revolution
Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori clings to power as dissidents in his party finally decide not to back a no-confidence motion

Cover: Endgame?
After Florida's controversial ballot recount, Bush holds a 537-vote lead in the state, which could give him the election

TIME Digest
FORTUNE.com
FORTUNE China
MONEY.com

TIME Asia Services
Subscribe
Subscribe to TIME! Get up to 3 MONTHS FREE!

Bookmark TIME
TIME Media Kit
Recent awards

TIME Asia Asiaweek Asia Now TIME Asia story

JANUARY 31, 2000 VOL. 155 NO. 4

V I E W P O I N T
...Or You Could Say the Glass Is Half Full
Indonesia's current struggles are creating a framework for its rebirth
By ARISTIDES KATOPPO

A recent visitor to Jakarta asked me: "How do I explain to my friends at home in San Francisco that the images they see on CNN of church burnings in Lombok are only part of the reality here and not the whole thing?" From the outside it can easily seem as though Indonesia is aflame, wracked by inter-religious strife and ethnic warfare. In fact, this is occurring in only a few localities, sporadically, while most of the archipelago is calm. Indeed it is difficult to explain what is going on during this radical transition from an authoritarian system--highly centralized and essentially military-ruled--to a more democratic way. Of course there is political turbulence and the process is messy, especially given that democratic institutions virtually withered away during Suharto's 32 years in power.

    ALSO IN TIME
Cover: Raging Inferno
All eyes are on the army as Indonesia tries to quell protests and save democracy
Interview: A top general speaks on the military's future
Catch-22: There can't be stability without economic recovery
Viewpoint: Wahid is reviving the national ideal

Energy: How High Will It Go?
OPEC's determination to push up the price of oil could derail Asia's fragile economic recovery

  RELATED STORIES
TIME
Agus Wirahadikusuma: 'I Don't See a Coup Scenario'
Online Exclusive: Maj.-General Agus Wirahadikusuma, a leading reformer in Indonesia's military, spoke with TIME about President Abdurrahman Wahid's relationship with the army and rumors of a possible coup

Indonesia: Calm Before the Storm
Religious differences have turned the Moluccas into a battlefield, filled with hate and the prospect of more violence

Indonesia: Chaos in the Islands
As clashes between Muslims and Christians escalate in the far-flung Moluccas, many wonder if anyone's in charge in Jakarta

Photo Essay
The streets of Jakarta in the hours leading up to the selection of Wahid and Megawati

CNN
Breaking news from Southeast Asia

ASIAWEEK
Cry for a Holy War
Jakarta feels the reverberations from Ambon

The political parties, labor unions, parliament, judiciary and other instruments of civil society were subordinated to the iron rule of Suharto. The few institutions that flourished included the military and the vast intelligence and internal security networks. These became tools for maintaining the dictatorship, and Indonesians lived under the law of the ruler rather than the rule of law. When the repressive structure finally came tumbling down, triggered by economic crisis, many people forecast gloom and doom. Some even predicted the disintegration of this sprawling archipelago-state. There would be either a Balkans-style fragmentation into several successor nations (with the accompanying civil war, aggravated by ethnic and religious "cleansing"), or Indonesia would join the ranks of the world's failed states, unable to regulate itself or meet its international obligations. That was cause for widespread concern, in part because Indonesia polices the sea lanes through which more than 70% of Japan's oil and gas imports travel.

The worst-case scenario hasn't happened--and won't. Of course, there are centrifugal forces at play. From Papua in the east and Aceh in the west there are demands to be free of Jakarta's overbearing rule. But Indonesia is not a Yugoslavia. Consider what we've achieved: we now have a democratically elected government led by two of the most popular figures in the country, President Abdurrahman Wahid--better known as Gus Dur--and Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Their credentials for promoting democracy and the rule of law emerged intact from the moral decay of the past regime. They represent a commitment to good governance and, more importantly, to non-violence. This is a radically different approach from the former practices of sustained repression and brutal silencing of dissent.

Last year's elections, which some had predicted would lead to chaos and bloodshed, were orderly, peaceful and free. The army, which some had feared might attempt to intimidate voters, stayed scrupulously on the sidelines. With all its shortcomings, its perceived tardiness in embracing the new paradigm and its frustration over never-ending accusations of human rights abuses, the military kept to the political bargain, which will mean its gradual exit from parliament. The army is slowly coming to terms with its new role, recognizing the supremacy of the law and the need to obey civilian institutions. There is still the problem of implementing reform policies. New habits and attitudes take time to gain a foothold. And old practices, like old soldiers, take even longer to change. Recent mutterings about a coup d'état show the frustration and pain the military faces in letting go of the past and heading into unfamiliar terrain. The die-hards are still there, but they have lost all moral authority.

How can Indonesia defuse the simmering social tensions exacerbated by religious and ethnic diversity? No one is better qualified than Gus Dur to traverse this tortuous road of reconciliation and peacemaking. For this healing pilgrimage the President, with Megawati at his side, is well prepared. His wit and humor are a refreshing breeze in the stale air. Indeed, for more than a decade he and his friends have been laying the foundations for inter-faith dialogue and developing a social fabric based on tolerance and non-violence. This solidarity is creating the framework for the rebirth of Indonesia.

Regional demands for greater freedom are now being settled through negotiation. It is an approach fraught with danger, but one can predict with confidence that there will be no Kosovos in this archipelago. Indonesia is engaged in a vast project of democratization through decentralization, de-bureaucratization and de-monopolization of power. The ideal of a country that recognizes plurality and diversity within a union may be tattered here and there, but it has survived more than one bout of turmoil since its birth half a century ago. It may be wounded for now, but it will stand the test of time.

Aristides Katoppo is a senior editor of the Indonesian daily Suara Pembaruan

This edition's table of contents
TIME Asia home


AsiaNow


Quick Scroll: More stories from TIME, Asiaweek and CNN

   LATEST HEADLINES:

WASHINGTON
U.S. secretary of state says China should be 'tolerant'

MANILA
Philippine government denies Estrada's claim to presidency

ALLAHABAD
Faith, madness, magic mix at sacred Hindu festival

COLOMBO
Land mine explosion kills 11 Sri Lankan soldiers

TOKYO
Japan claims StarLink found in U.S. corn sample

BANGKOK
Thai party announces first coalition partner



TIME:

COVER: President Joseph Estrada gives in to the chanting crowds on the streets of Manila and agrees to make room for his Vice President

THAILAND: Twin teenage warriors turn themselves in to Bangkok officials

CHINA: Despite official vilification, hip Chinese dig Lamaist culture

PHOTO ESSAY: Estrada Calls Snap Election

WEB-ONLY INTERVIEW: Jimmy Lai on feeling lucky -- and why he's committed to the island state



ASIAWEEK:

COVER: The DoCoMo generation - Japan's leading mobile phone company goes global

Bandwidth Boom: Racing to wire - how underseas cable systems may yet fall short

TAIWAN: Party intrigues add to Chen Shui-bian's woes

JAPAN: Japan's ruling party crushes a rebel ì at a cost

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans need to have more babies. But success breeds selfishness


Launch CNN's Desktop Ticker and get the latest news, delivered right on your desktop!

Today on CNN
 Search

Back to the top   © 2000 Time Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.