May 17, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 14, 1424

JAKARTA: At the end Suharto was even capable of admitting “mistakes and errors” he had made during his 32 years in power in Indonesia before he resigned on May 21, 1998, in the face of weeks of violent street protests.

His generals finally told the ageing ruler it was time to go — and Indonesians began to speak of democracy breaking out in their country of 18,000 islands.

Now after years of turbulence and violence and two more presidents, relative peace has returned, and many Indonesians hope and believe they are on the road to stability, despite many obstacles still to be overcome.

Few would have believed it after Suharto was pushed out. Ethnic conflicts, for too long suppressed with naked force, exploded across the country, exacerbated by a severe economic crisis.

In Aceh, on the Moluccas and on Borneo, thousands died in the ensuing violence. Radicals rose up. And in East Timor, annexed by Indonesia in 1975, a popular referendum over autonomy from Jakarta resulted in a bloodbath in 1999, incited by pro-Indonesian militias backed by the Indonesian army.

Indonesia, with its population of around 215 million inhabitants the world’s fourth-largest country, has taxed to the limit the abilities of two presidents since Suharto was toppled.

His immediate successor Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie was seen only as a transitional solution, even though in June 1999 he called the first freely democratic parliamentary elections for 44 years.

The winner of those elections was the party of Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of the country’s first president, Sukarno.

But the moderate Muslim leader Abdurrahman Wahid took over as head of state, soon coming into conflict with parliament over his style of government.

In July 2001 he gave may to Megawati, 56, who is often referred to as something of an enigma in Jakarta. She does not like to make speeches, despite her political background as the daughter of the president who took the country to independence from the Dutch.

Nevertheless, over her two years in office, East Timor has gained independence and other important reforms have been introduced.

The military, almost all-powerful under Sukarno, has lost its guaranteed seats in parliament, the provinces have gained power with their own legislative chambers and the president will in future be directly elected by the people.

Under her rule, potential sources of conflict within the diverse country have been damped down.

“The stability factor that has long been lacking in this country is now there,” says Jochen Sauter, manager of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jakarta.

And the Asiatic Development Bank also praises the country for its new-found stability.

Economic growth of around 3.4 per cent is predicted for the current year, with a rise to four per cent next year.

More importantly, the spectre of militants has hung over the country since the bomb attacks on Bali last year claimed more than 200 lives, even though the overwhelming majority of Indonesian Muslims are moderates.

Under pressure from world leaders, Jakarta acted quickly and had arrested many suspects.

Observers believe Megawati is likely to profit from her decisive action in the parliamentary elections next year, as well as gain support internationally.

But the threat of extremism has clearly not been banished for good.—dpa