Bambang Susanto Priyohadi, is a secretary of the Yogyakarta

Bambang Susanto Priyohadi, is a secretary of the Yogyakarta provincial administration.

For one thing, since the reform movement began, we have all witnessed a big change in people's willingness to voice their opinions, although I have also noticed that many go too far. Some often articulate their wishes without a clear framework.

In regards efforts to create a clean government, which means eliminating practices of KKN (corruption, collusion and nepotism), I have to admit that there have been dynamic and progressive changes in regional administrations, particularly in their organization and budgetary systems.

In many regions, including those outside Java, a performance- based budgetary system has generally worked in place of the old and routine development budgetary system, which was prone to KKN practices. Yogyakarta, too, plans to implement the new budgetary system next week.

It seems to me that most regional governments in the country have been better prepared than the central government to realize the reform agenda. The central government has not even established a minimum standard of public service during the last five years, and has only produced numerous contradictory regulations.

In this case, I suggest that the President form a special team whose main task is to coordinate and evaluate the application of the reform agenda.

In general, I can say that the reform movement has been moving along in the sense that we have succeeded in eliminating the psychological barrier we inherited from the past, although we still need to change our mind-set and values further.

Suparbedo, 35, owns a construction consultancy in Yogyakarta.

I have the feeling that the reform movement has been generally going along the right track. But I have also noticed that there are many parties or individuals who have been taking advantage of the reform agenda for their own benefit and interests.

As a result, reform is proceeding very slowly and sometimes is also marred by conflicts of interests here and there. The political elites are fighting each other for their own interests and the interests of their respective groups.

If we do nothing to resolve this and such conflicts of interests are left unsettled, I'm afraid we will not only fail to achieve the objectives of the reform movement, but we will also never be able to make any reforms at all.

What is also worrisome is the fact that the reform movement has failed to eradicate KKN practices. In fact, the situation is worsening, as the practices now involve not only the executive, but also the legislative, branch.

I have to admit that control as exercised by the legislative branch is there, but the money allocated toward certain goals is much greater now, because we have to pay more individuals.

Sumarni, 35, is a housewife in Yogyakarta.

The reform movement is nothing but a complete failure. The proof is simple and obvious: We have to spend more money for almost everything, while the family's income shrinks.

Unemployment is everywhere, violence and crimes are on the rise, not to mention the various conflicts as the one in Aceh. People are fighting each other and at the same time, corruption, collusion and nepotism practices make the headlines of newspapers across the country.

Can we truly say that reform has brought us goodness?

The reform movement can be considered successful only when we see improvements in people's welfare, when basic commodities are sold at reasonable prices and people live together in harmony -- and when corrupters are brought to justice and sentenced fairly.

Eka Santosa, is speaker of the West Java provincial legislature.

Many unfinished businesses remain after five years of reform in the country, particularly in economy and law enforcement. But as a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, I believe President Megawati Soekarnoputri has brought improvement to this nation.

It would be ideal if we could attain all of the reform goals, but the problem is, we have succeeded an evil regime and we cannot eliminate its legacy entirely -- particularly those individuals of the past regime who are still occupying posts in either the government or the legislature.

We cannot turn a blind eye toward the progress we have made so far in our democracy. We are free to articulate our opinions, even if they are different from the government's stance, and even if they oppose the central government's attempt to meddle with our business.

I suggest that the current government create more economic policies that will benefit as many people of the lower-income bracket as possible. The people's welfare is the indicator by which to measure the success of a government.

Megawati should have the guts to make unpopular policies that will benefit the majority. Complaints are on the rise among the public, who say that unlike the Soeharto era, it us more difficult now to earn money, even dirty money.

Ine Febriyanti, is an actress who lives in Jakarta.

One thing for sure, there we now have freedom of expression. Our press has become more open in its coverage, for example. But other things are still as complicated as they were before.

Such freedom of expression allows us artists to have more creative freedom, compared to when we were still under the New Order regime.

My latest play, for example, Ekstrim, would not have been possible without the current environment of freedom of expression.

On the other hand, such expression has allowed so many people to stage so many rallies on so many different issues. The public is sometimes confused about which rallies really express our concerns.

I still do hope that we can eventually build a new Indonesia, although we may be having a difficult time now. I think it is part of our maturing process, if we want to be a great nation. There are many examples throughout history that countries must endure many struggles before it can emerge a mature country.

As for myself, there's not much difference between before and after the reform movement regarding to my getting parts. I do not really engage in commercial acting parts and play mostly artistic ones, so the impact is almost nil.

Iga Mawarni, is a jazz singer living in Jakarta.

There are several improvements, such as the freedom of expression and the fact that the government is no longer authoritarian.

On the other hand, though, there are some drawbacks, such as that some groups in society want to force their will upon other groups, or refuse to be more transparent.

Nevertheless, it is part of the long process of development, although we have to admit that other Asian countries are coping with the economic crisis faster.

The crisis opened the eyes of those countries, and they also quickly learned from it.

I don't think returning to an authoritarian regime is an option, because we have to continue with the reform. Still, we cannot look to each other to start something.

It is also important for our leaders to set an example for the people and take a firm stand against those who oppose the reform movement. These people will do anything to stop, or at least hinder, the reform movement.

We also have to make a commitment to continue the reform movement to create a better Indonesia.

It may be late for us, because it has been five years now, but I do believe that most Indonesians live by the principle of alon- alon asal kelakon (slowly but surely).

Oyong Karmayudha, is a secretary general of the National Sports Council (KONI) as well as president of the Asia Pacific Pencak Silat Federation. He is also a former KAMI activist of the 1966 student movement.

I think the reform movement has passed its boundaries and no longer believes in the ideals that were being fought for. No wonder so many people say that it was better under the old regime.

For example, security was deemed much, much better under Soeharto's rule. So was legal certainty, because people still respected the law back then.

Look at what's happening now. People can take justice into their own hands like burning thieves or other kinds of street justice.

We all know that legal supremacy is something we fought for during reform era. All I feel now is mounting disappointment.

Our people no longer have any sense of ethics, tolerance or wisdom.

I believe that we must put the reform movement back on track, although this will be a difficult thing to do. I don't think those who are accustomed to and are taking advantage of the current climate are willing to change.

However, I have not lost my hope for the reform movement, because we can still fix it together. In order to do this, we need our national leaders to take the initiative to draft a national commitment and execute it in the proper manner.

All this political commotion has, to some extent, affected the sports world, because unstable politics leads to a weak economy, at a time when most sports organizations still depend on contributions for their financial survival.

The government itself can do very little to help the sports sector, but at the same time, they demand the athletes to perform well to help fix Indonesia's image.

But how can we perform well at the regional and international levels if we do not have enough competitions at home?

Since the government can't help us, then it is up to us to simply do our best despite the hardships we are suffering -- not only in sports, but also in other fields.

Ferdy Hasan, 29, is a TV announcer and model.

Are you kidding? Just watch Buser and other similar crime programs on television. Where do you think they get the content (for their news) from?

Somebody should do something about the crime rate. I would feel a lot safer then.

Baharuddin Aritonang, is a legislator of the Golkar faction:

I think the results of the reform movement that began five years ago is so-so. There are some achievements, but also some goals that have yet to be achieved.

We can see some progresses in state management. The Constitution has been amended, laws have been revised. We are still waiting to see their implementation.

Besides the progress in the infrastructure, though, we still see that the mentality of the state leaders and politicians have not been reformed. Politicians often cannot accept the victory of others.

In the legislation process, I see the factions in the House of Representatives (DPR) are more transparent and responsive. Each faction is more willing to accommodate the aspirations of the people in the deliberation of bills.

Public participation and control of the media will definitely improve the quality of legislation.

Unfortunately, the reform movement is misunderstood by the elite of regional administrations. Widespread money politics was often reported during regional gubernatorial and regental elections.

We ask that our friends in non-governmental organizations continue their criticisms.

In the recruitment of legislative members, the reform movement has encouraged the inclusion of politicians with varying backgrounds. Legislative institutions have been filled with people with differing educational backgrounds and levels of competency and discipline. In this regard, though, I think legislators in the past had better discipline.

Candra Wijaya, 28, is a professional badminton player, who won a gold in the men's doubles at the 2000 Olympics and at the 1997 World Championships.

I see that freedom of speech and democracy has improved after the reform. Unfortunately, the opposite holds true in the economy. Many people still live in poverty, while the gap between the rich and the poor grows wider.

As an athlete, I'm very pessimistic about development of sports in the country. The government pays no attention at all to sports. They don't have any sports development programs. I'm afraid that within 10 years, we will be left behind by other Southeast Asian countries, although we used to be number one in this region.

I still hope the government will eventually pay attention to athletes' welfare. In other countries, champions are always rewarded, like with lifetime pensions or cash bonuses.

Of course, I received a check from a private company when I won in the Olympics, but I also had to pay tax on the bonus. Instead of giving me money, the government got money from me off my bonus.

For the future, the government must focus on the two most important aspects: Law and education. I hope there won't be discrimination toward Chinese-Indonesians like myself anymore. I also hope more and more citizens can enjoy their right to education.

Indonesia needs a leader who is smart, responsible and able to set an example for the people. The political elite should not be selfish by thinking about their own, or their group's, benefit. They must pay more attention to the people.

Roy Suryo, is a lecturer and IT consultant:

Well, as a lecturer and an information technology consultant, I think my life hasn't changed much, with or without the reform movement. The condition and the mind-set of our society remain the same.

There are, of course, some changes -- we're more democratic now and are free to speak our minds. Four years after the reform, I must say that there was no development at all in our country, because we were busy with the political unrest of a constantly changing leadership.

However, in the last six months there has been a slight improvement in our country. A lot of infrastructure development has happened.

All the projects halted after the 1998 financial crisis were gradually restarted, such as the flyover and the Jakarta Outer Ring Road project, the telecommunication infrastructure and many more.

It's only within these last six months that I and many IT businessmen have felt comfortable doing business, because the currency has stabilized and the macroeconomic condition is better for business.

In future, I'd like to see a limitation on political parties, because they just tend to waste the states money. Small parties tend to take advantage of the government's financial assistance, rather than fighting for their constituents.

Another important thing is that the country needs a clean and honest leader who has a strong commitment toward fighting the corruption that has been an inherent part of our society since the Dutch occupation.

It's not hard, but at the very least, we need someone clean to be a good role model for our people. Ferry Salim, 34, is a graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle, and made his big-screen debut in the lead role in the historical drama Ca-Bau-Kan.

I'm generally happier, because there are things that I wanted to see happen, which was impossible five years ago, like a public celebration of Imlek (Chinese New Year).

"Indonesia is a lighthouse for other countries in the world in all aspects of life" -- somebody said that along time ago, but I can't seem to recall who. Perhaps it was Sukarno, our first president.

You think that's impossible? Too fast? Hey, changes happen and they happen very fast. Just look at Iraq. Yesterday they existed, and today they don't.

Mayong S. Laksono, 42, is a journalist, TV producer and TV announcer.

Personally yes, I'm financially more secure, but if you look out there, there are actually more people without jobs than before. And crime is everywhere. The criminals are above the law!

I would like to see that in 10 years, this country will have a leader with the vision to solve problems. They don't have to be ultra-smart. We have enough smart people leading this country; just someone who can solve problems.

Ade Rai, 33, is an athlete, bodybuilder and businessman.

Yes. My work is better, my personal life is better.

People's awareness about health will improve. In 10 years, people will not feel guilty about telling someone who is smoking to put out their cigarettes.

Bayu Krisnamurti, is the director of the center for development studies at the Bogor University of Agriculture:

As a member of society, the slow growth of the country's macroeconomic sector has influenced my life since the reform era emerged in the country.

Personally, I welcome the spirit of reform in the agricultural sector, as we can build an integrated policy in agriculture to help improve the already ailing sector.

However, the current condition is relatively the same as the New Order era, in which agriculture policies were still focused on the central government.

Worse still, many of the ongoing policies taken by the government, such as in sugar and rice that empowered the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), are exactly the same as the New Order's policy, and this is against the spirit of reform.

We have yet to find a formula to develop the agricultural sector in line with reform.

Still, I am hopeful that reform can be attained if the decision-makers, including the government, the House of Representatives and others, such as experts and representatives of the people, can sit together and seek a way to improve the condition of agriculture.

I hope that the government can create the long-term agricultural policy, rather than the current short-term policy.