National Politics

To Jakarta, he is an enigma. To the Madurese, he holds out hope for a better society. GERRY VAN KLINKEN goes to the grass-roots.

When this teacher tries to explain the electoral system, he ends up in knots. SUGENG PERMANA listens in.

Abri officers are becoming more Islamic, but many do not want their Islam to become a political tool for the administration, according to MARCUS MIETZNER.

Senior ABRI intentions may be obscure now, says BOB LOWRY, but no one should assume they will remain that way.

DAMIEN KINGSBURY puts his money on five military winners in the presidential stakes. Indonesians call them the five Pendawa.

It's lonely in the Forestry Minister's office, says GERRY VAN KLINKEN.

Facing a sceptical public, Abri has to talk harder to justify its political role. JUN HONNA listens in.

PETER CRONAU and MATTHEW BROWN find that Cold War methods live on in Indonesian consulates around Australia.

The currency crisis is making Thailand more democratic, but not Indonesia, says PRIYAMBUDI.

DAVID BOURCHIER looks at the new generation of military leaders, after a big shakeup between July and October 1997.

The IMF recipe is no cure for Asia's collapsed economies, says WALDEN BELLO. Instead, a people's strategy is emerging that looks to self-reliance and democratic control over capital.

Authoritarian Southeast Asian governments have been dealt a blow by market forces, says MICHAEL VATIKIOTIS, but democracy will not flourish until people begin to organise locally.

There are plenty of capable Indonesians who can take over from Suharto, says the activist group PIJAR.

What should democracy activists do in these last days of the New Order? DANIEL LEV offers some pointers.

Indonesia has been brought to its knees by a small club of crony capitalists, says GOENAWAN MOHAMAD. The IMF deal offers hope because it will weaken their grip on the economy of 200 million other Indonesians.

GERRY VAN KLINKEN traces the spectacular financial events that paralysed the country's business and political elites.

In this snapshot of politics at the end of January, ARIEF BUDIMAN worries that the embryonic alliance between Amien Rais and Megawati remains vulnerable to government attack.

Indonesia's crisis was caused by global 'market forces', transforming nation-states into commodities. MARK BEESON explains.

What will Indonesia look like in 2010?