The people of Indonesia & their culture, politics, economy and environment - Inside Indonesia: The peoples and cultures of Indonesia

Presidents

Another fork in the road for democracy?

The gap between Jokowi and Prabowo has narrowed, but the election outcome will still matter for the prospects of Indonesian democracy

Sport, politics and the 1962 Asian Games

Jakarta’s 1962 Asian Games were a symbol of Sukarno’s postcolonial nation-building

Interview with an activist: Soe Tjen Marching

Standing up in the name of truth and justice

Justice denied?

The Indonesian way of confronting the past underestimates the importance of truth and justice

Battle of the bands

Julia Perez in Democrat Party campaign - http://www.jpnn.com

The influence of music videos in the 2014 electoral campaign

Jokowi: Rise of a polite populist

Jokowi’s path to the presidency might not be as smooth as it once seemed, but he is still the front runner

Transcending personality politics

The election of Anas Urbaningrum suggests Partai Demokrat can survive without its founder, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

A storm in a bank vault

The much publicised ‘Bank Century’ case is unlikely to do any lasting damage to SBY

Gus Dur’s 100 days

Abdurrahman Wahid’s life deserves serious and critical reflection

Promoting pluralism

Pesantren progressives defend constitutional religious freedoms

Inside Yudhoyono's anti-corruption machine

Despite attempts to re-engineer Indonesia’s governance mechanisms, corruption remains a chronic problem

Personality cults

Foreign news coverage needs to focus on Indonesia’s people, not just its leaders

When is a public holiday not a holiday?

The 100 year anniversary of Indonesia’s ‘National Awakening’ fails to inspire

Teaching and remembering

The legacy of the Suharto era lingers in school history books

The peace dividend

With no internal wars to fight, Yudhoyono can afford to reform the military.

How will Indonesians remember Suharto?

Newspaper obituaries, from Sabang to Merauke

The passing of a dictator

Arief Budiman reflects on Suharto and his legacy.

Megawati: 'Why not a woman President?'

Amidst great enthusiasm, Megawati Sukarnoputri was elected chairperson of the small political party PDI in December 1993. But last June she was ejected from the leadership by military-backed rivals. Many now look to her to lead a democratising movement wider than the PDI. To find out how she felt about this wider role, SAILENDRI recorded this exclusive interview with Megawati in her home.

A Javanese king talks of his end

When speaking off the cuff, Suharto sees himself not as a modern president but as a Javanese king. Ben Abel talks with BEN ANDERSON.

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Lontar Modern Indonesia

A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar.