On Indonesia

On Indonesia

After the authoritarian Soeharto period, (the newly elected speaker of Indonesia's legislature) Amien Rais has become the first official to be freely elected by secret ballot.

His election and the bringing forward of the presidential elections reflect important deal making behind the scenes. Rais has earned the backing of reformist and Muslim parties, as well as the former ruling party Golkar.

At play are many interests and motives -- by no means all benign toward reform -- and the outcome is unpredictable. Those Indonesians advocating the difficult cause of democratic reform should know they have the support and encouragement of people throughout the region.

-- The Australian, Sydney, Australia,