Reform loses its direction

Reform loses its direction

Four years has elapsed since the reform movement kicked off in
this country. Former president Soeharto's resignation from office
on May 21, 1998, marked the end of the New Order regime and
ushered in the reform era.

The birth of the reform era was underlined by the nation's
strong commitment to create a better future in all aspects of
life. A number of basic reform agendas were then voiced that
involved reforming the political, legal and economic spheres.

Nevertheless, now that four years have passed, the result of
the reform movement has been inadequate. Political reform, for
example, has not only brought about freedom of expression and
press freedom, but also political instability.

Among the elite, efforts to change state leadership have
apparently become a fixed agenda.

In the meantime, many conflicts involving people of different
ethnic groups and religious backgrounds have broken out in Aceh,
Ambon, Irian Jaya, and violent political clashes have flared up
in many other regions.

The main agenda of legal reform; to eradicate corruption,
collusion and nepotism (KKN) and to uphold the supremacy of the
law, has been unsatisfactory in its achievements.

Economic reform, meanwhile, is the same.

Levels of social welfare have dropped drastically, while the
number of school dropouts has risen sharply owing to the
protracted crisis.

The description referred to above shows that reform is yet to
produce the desired results as originally expected.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta