The Jakarta Post panel discussion 2000

The Jakarta Post panel discussion 2000

On Dec. 5, The Jakarta Post brought together 14 individuals of
diverse backgrounds and expertise for a two-day panel discussion
in Jakarta to look into the prospects for 2002 from their
perspective. We asked each panelist what he or she sees as
crucial reforms for the development of a more humane civil
society in Indonesia in the coming year.

Participants' backgrounds ranged from thinkers and politicians
to practitioners: lawyer Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, former
government prosecutor Antonius Sujata, Islamic thinker Azyumardi
Azra, politician/economist Benny Pasaribu, businessman Gilbert
Wiryadinata, sociologist Ignas Kleden, political analyst Mochtar
Pabottingi, writer/columnist Mohamad Sobary, economists Mubyarto,
M. Chatib Basri and Pande Radja Silalahi, Kebumen Regent
Rustriningsih, political activist Smita Notosusanto, and
political analyst/writer Soedjati Djiwandono.

Our moderators were no less impressive: Noted economist
Sjahrir, who is also chairman of the New Indonesian Association,
and Sabam Siagian, former ambassador to Australia and the Post's
own editor-at-large.

To encourage open and frank discussion held at Santika Hotel,
we applied the Chatham House rules, whereby anything said could
only be used for publication without direct attribution. In
today's issue, we present the summary of the fruitful and
enlightening discussion.

The articles were written by members of the editorial board:
Raymond Toruan, Endy Bayuni, Vincent Lingga, Alex Irwan, Riyadi
Suparno, Meidyatama Surjodiningrat, Kornelius Purba and Muhammad
Nafik. Santi W. Soekanto, a regular contributor, assisted us in
writing one of the articles.