Celebrating Ten Years of Reform Movement

The month of May is important for Indonesia. Ten years ago Suharto fell from his office following students demonstration protesting his corrupt regime and asking for reformasi or political reform. These days students, journalist, academicians, press and politicians are celebrating ten years of reformasi.

Koran Tempo (tempo daily) wrote a special issue to celebrate it. There is, among interesting articles, an interview with Major general (ret) Suharto, commander of the Indonesian marine corps at the time. He told Koran Tempo that the day when the riot broke out he was flying over Jakarta in a helicopter with the navy chief of staff to monitor the situation. He saw his troops deployed in strategic places but he did not see army troops. So he questioned their whereabouts and the firmness of the top armed forces leadership at the time.

Koran Tempo also wrote about casualties of the riot that broke out on May 13 - May 15, 1998. There were 1,217 people died according to volunteers team. The police said there were 451 persons died. Military command said there were 463 people died. The Jakarta local government said there were 288 people died. Many of them died because they were burned alive in shopping malls when they were looting. There were rape of women. Initially fact - finding team reported there were 168 victims but then they said there were 92, then changed into 85 and at last they said there were 52 people. The figures and the events are never clear.

Buildings were burned by angry mob. There were 2,479 damaged shop houses, 1,6045 shops, 1,119 cars and 821 motor bikes, 1,026 houses, 40 shopping centers, and 13 markets.

Riots took place in 108 locations that caused damage. Arson happened in 99 locations. Looting took place in 96 places. Attacks to housing complex happened in 14 places.

ANTV also hold a series of interview with intellectuals, volunteers, academicians, and politicians about the riot and reform movement.

Meanwhile Metro TV hold dialog with prominent figures in teh country. They invited Amin Rais who is known as the initiator of reformasi and other prominent figures like vice president Jusuf Kalla, economist Kwik Kian Gie, who was the chief of Bappenas or the government agency for development planning, and Hendro Priyono who was the chief of army intelligence unit. Both Professor Amin Rais and Kwik Kian Gie blamed the government for the present economic situation.

Amin Rais stated that there are reform in the political structure but reform movement failed to bring prosperity to people. He even wrote a book with the title of Selamatkan Indonesia or Save Indonesia.

100 hot books