'No other nation dared mess with us before'

'No other nation dared mess with us before'

Many people deem that the resignation of president Soeharto on
May 21, 1998, had changed many things in the country, but not all
for the better. Some say the nation owes Soeharto for the
glorious old days, but others blame him for three decades of
neglecting democratization, a legacy that led to the failure of
the reform movement. The Jakarta Post asked a few residents what
changes affect them most.

Evi Yulia Kurniawati, 28, is a mother of one who lives in
Gading Serpong, Tangerang. She is a media relations officer at a
public relations company in South Jakarta:

I think the reform process has failed because the condition is
now worse compared to six years ago. The price of basic
commodities are skyrocketing disproportionately to the incomes of
minimum wage workers. As a mother of a baby the high price of
formula milk is of great concern to me.

I am also concerned about the security condition. Armed
robberies, rape, drug abuse, student brawls appear in the media
every day. I don't feel safe going out alone at night.

Education is also more expensive now, even though many
politicians offer free education as part of their campaigns. They
are busy fighting for their own interests, not the people's
interests.

Irfan, 42, is a taxi driver. He lives with his family in
Bekasi, Greater Jakarta:

Indonesia was much better under Soeharto. No, I'm not talking
about the corruption and the unscrupulous businesspeople. I'm
talking about this country's sovereignty -- no other nation dared
to mess with us. It was just after he had vacated his post that
we lost East Timor and the Sipadan-Ligitan islands.

I think that was because he was from the military so no one
would question our territorial integrity.

That's why I prefer a military man, rather than a civilian,
for president.

-- The Jakarta Post