Where Is Indonesia Going?
Against The Current vol. 87
Miah, Malik
http://www.solidarity-us.org//node/1628Publisher: Against The Current
Date Written: 01/07/2000
Year Published: 2000
Resource Type: Article
Cx Number: CX12841
For both admirers and critics of Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, the picture is disturbing: At the presidential palace in Jakarta there are signs of a new “royal court” in the making. Officials converse in Javanese, not the national language Bahasa Indonesia; Wahid himself borrows from mysticism and ancient tracts to plot political strategy; and family and friends are acting as gatekeepers and facilitators, in some cases for businessmen hoping to curry favor. Some analysts describe it as a form of “benign Suhartoism,” a throwback to the disastrous last decade of President's 32-year rule.
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