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Reform era draws to a close
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Activists hold posters during the 861st Kamisan (Thursday) peaceful protest on May 15 in front of the State Palace in Jakarta. The protest called on the Attorney General's Office to take concrete action on unresolved human rights violations that occurred in May 1998. (Antara/Fathul Habib Sholeh)
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wenty-seven years after Indonesia emerged from the shadow of authoritarian rule, the nation now stands at a crossroads, as it reaches what some pro-democracy advocates describe as “the end of political reform,” marked by the dismantling of democratic institutions and the return of authoritarian tendencies.
The fall of Soeharto and his New Order regime on May 21, 27 years ago, marked the beginning of the Reform era, a transformative period that ended the military’s roles in civilian and political affairs, strengthened democracy, promoted greater regional autonomy and fostered a freer press, among other reforms.
In the years that followed, Indonesia became widely regarded as a rare democratic success in Southeast Asia, as it held regular competitive elections, empowered a vibrant press and civil society, and established independent institutions that symbolized a decisive break from authoritarian rule, such as the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
New era?
Now, after more than two and a half decades have passed, some pro-democracy advocates and experts suggest that the reforms may be over, or at least nearing their end, as the nation drifts further from the spirit that defined the Reform era.
“One by one, the key mandates and institutions of reform have been dismantled, from anticorruption to civilian control over the military, everything the Reform era stood for has been undone,” said Wijayanto of the Institute for Economic and Social Research, Education and Information (LP3ES).
“At this point, we have to admit that political reform in Indonesia is over. This is the close of an era and the rise of a new one, defined by authoritarianism dressed in democratic clothing,” he added.
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