Happiness was to be forgetting the past and building the future. That, however, was then, seemingly light years away but in fact only sixteen long months ago Jefferson, speaking to Americans two centuries ago, could hardly have better articulated the hopes and dreams of Indonesians in October 1999. He knew the sublime balances and emotions that control the human spirit and engender the intangible, but crucial, sense of belonging, whether to a community or a nation. The country is facing a threat of national disintegration, as the presumably wise leadership has not been supported by any sectors of the coalition. The economy teeters as the Governor of the Bank of Indonesia flits between attending his trial on corruption charges and his office, whilst the Central Bank remains in limbo waiting for the new law that will emasculate its independence.
Mob law rules at street level with frequent incidents of suspected thieves being burned alive.
The bombing of the Jakarta Stock Exchange and the coordinated string of bombs on Christmas Eve highlight the insecurity and lawlessness. Freedom is also only for the rich. The Soeharto family, abetted by smooth talking lawyers who know the law better than the judiciary, have successfully evaded every effort to bring them to heel and to accountability. In Indonesia now, where people are killed for a few thousand rupiah, life, at this level in society, is cheap beyond comprehension. More than three decades of pillage of the state wealth by Soeharto, his family, his cronies, top government officials and the military, have left the country in hock for a generation or more to outside lenders.