When the Indonesian supreme legislative body meets in special session this October, it will approve a political revolution. For the first time since the country’s independence in 1945, the republic will have a directly elected president. Such a firm democratic mandate will not only enhance the position of the new incumbent, but could make bolder policy initiatives possible since the reformist momentum of the post-Suharto era seems to have run its course.
None of the post-Suharto presidents, Bachruddin Jusuf Habibie (1998-99), Aburrachman Wahid (1999-2001) and Megawati Sukarnoputri (2001-4), have had the capacity to carry through the necessary political reforms. Limited in their administrative competence, all three have been civilians with little standing with the powerful military.