A nation in transition

Aside from toward the parties competing in the general election, our attention has been focused on the government.

The government plays a central role in the management of our political life and has control over every function in the general election process, up to the allotment of funds.

Evidently, Golkar benefits from the government's strong position, while the opposite is true for the PPP (United Development Party) and PDI (Indonesian Democratic Party).

The names of many candidates put forward by the parties for the House of Representatives and the People's Consultative Assembly were dropped during an unavoidable government selection process.

Any hoped-for advancement in the quality of our general elections must be seen in the overall context of our political life.

Our Constitution assigns an extremely important function and role to the House of Representatives and the People's Consultative Assembly. The challenge that we still face is make that function and role into a reality.

A lengthy process lies before us.

As a growing nation, we have some unique designs in our political order, such as the Armed Forces' position and the dominant role of the government.

All this, however, must be seen as a transition process.

Our national covenant to implement our 1945 Constitution without alterations and in a consistent manner must be the beacon that directs us in our efforts to bring about reform and improvement.

It is in this context that we speak about the need for democratization.

And it is with reference to the 1945 Constitution that we talk about equality before the law, respect for the rights of citizens and the principles of justice that must be upheld.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta