Flicker of hope

Seven years ago to this day, President Soeharto uttered that famous remark "I quit", thus ending his 32-year rule amid tumult on the streets. The abrupt termination ushered in what we now refer to as the "reform era", which supposedly put us on the path towards a more democratic, just and prosperous nation. On May 21, 1998, students danced in the streets after they successfully forced Indonesia's strongman to make that drastic but inevitable decision to step down. There was much hope and expectation that the process of nation-building could proceed upon more solid foundations.

Certain weather patterns and agricultural activities cycle in seven-year periods. And though we could hardly analyze the life of a nation in cyclical terms, the fact is that Indonesia and Indonesians have gone through a lot these last seven years. Many of us could be could be forgiven for asking whether we will see a golden period over the next seven years; so much blood, sweat and tears have been shed that people in this nation have a valid claim to demand some sort of payback soon.

In spite of all the reforms that have been carried out in almost every field -- political, economic, legal and social -- there are still too many unfulfilled expectations that raise the question: Has it all been worth it?

For the majority of the people, their living standards have still not returned to the levels before the advent of the 1998 economic crisis. This much we know from the nation's per-capita- income, which is still below the highest level achieved during the Soeharto years. Aggregates and statistics don't tell the whole story, however. Many people still live in abject poverty, and many others are barely above the poverty line that makes them highly vulnerable to even slight economic downturns. Another indicator that the lives of many ordinary Indonesians has not improved is unemployment, which is officially put at 10 percent and rising. Add to this the 40 million or so of the workforce who are under-employed, and we get a picture that for most ordinary people, reforms have not much changed their lot. If anything, many are finding themselves in worse condition.

Certain things have barely changed in other areas of the nation's life too. Corruption remains rampant, even as one president after another promised to rein in this malady. The search for justice remains elusive for most, and impunity is the order of the day for the politically and economically powerful, even as one president after another promised to turn Indonesia into a country ruled by law. Our personal safety has not improved with soaring crime rates; and people in Maluku, Poso in Central Sulawesi, Papua and Aceh, have had to live with endless conflict.

But are things really that bad? Have we squandered these seven years just like that? Those who see the glass half empty would say that the reform era is dead in the water. Some even suggest that we should go back to a Soeharto-style government, doing away with freedom and democracy, and putting economic development as the sole agenda.

Those who see the glass as half full believe that all is not lost. Some good things have come out of the reform process but it is easy to overlook them amidst all the despondency that went with unmet expectations.

For one, the nation still enjoys a far larger degree of freedom of expression and association, when there was virtually none under Soeharto's rule-by-terror.

Today, we can vent our anger at our leaders and politicians if they fail to live up to expectations; judging by the endless open protests we see across the country, our leaders have a lot to answer for. Corruption may still be rampant, but the free press run these stories on the front page not only to draw public attention, but also to put pressure on the authorities to get their act together. None of this was possible under Soeharto.

We have also seen a plethora of new political parties and labor unions formed over the last seven years just as an example of how this constitutional right to form associations has been used, for better or for worse, by the citizens of this country.

There are also the democratic elections that we have held since 1999, including for the first time, the direct election of our president in 2004. Sovereignty is now almost fully returned to the people. We may have been wrong in voting for this party or for that candidate at the last election, but we now have the choice of not returning them to office in the next election. This option was completely non-existent under Soeharto.

All in all, things have not been as bad as some would have us believe. We are making progress, albeit painfully slow. We have secured freedom of expression and association to some extent, but not yet freedom from poverty or freedom from fear. Those should be on our agenda for the next seven years.

If there is one lesson of this last seven years, it is that change comes slowly in this country.

Amidst the inevitable gloom-and-doom comments that will accompany today's seventh anniversary of the reform era, there is still a flicker of hope that Indonesia is on the right track. A lot ultimately depends on our elected leaders, for they can decide how far and how fast they want to push the reform agenda.