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Indonesia's Reformasi

Indonesia's Reformasi

Indonesian dictator Suharto was toppled in 1998 in a revolution that paved the way to a democracy. Indonesia’s Reformasi may have been a success, but the work is not finished

Indonesia names Suharto national hero despite protests

Video | Indonesia names Suharto national hero despite protests

The new title has sparked wider concerns about historical revisionism in the country under Suharto’s former son-in-law, Prabowo.

10 Nov 2025 - 7:35PM

Opinion | 2 steps Indonesia must take to end destructive culture of corruption

2 Sep 2025 - 5:30PMvideocam

Nostalgia for Suharto era triggers warnings about Indonesia’s dark history

23 Feb 2024 - 3:22PMvideocam

‘Not fair, not free’: students slam Jokowi’s lack of neutrality in election

President Joko Widodo has been accused of meddling in the February 14 election, in which Prabowo Subianto named Widodo’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as his running mate.

10 Feb 2024 - 3:00PMvideocam

A banner with an image depicting Indonesian President Joko Widodo behind bars is laid out on the road during a rally demanding a fair presidential election. Students claim the president has been acting neutral in the election. Photo: AP

Asian Angle | Indonesia and Malaysia’s Reformasi spirit an indelible part of Asia’s journey to democracy

Reformasi is testimony to the mutual influences stemming from Malaysia and Indonesia’s heritage of a common language and cultural affinities.

27 May 2023 - 10:07AM

25 years since Indonesia’s Reformasi, is democracy unravelling under Jokowi?

The quality of democracy has ‘deteriorated markedly’ over the course of Widodo’s presidency, capped by new laws stifling dissent and freedom of expression.

13 May 2023 - 11:30AMvideocam

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Rebels holding New Zealand pilot hostage may drop key demand

Susi Air pilot Phillip Mehrtens was abducted by the West Papua Liberation Army in the highlands of Nduga two months ago after a routine flight to the area.

6 Apr 2023 - 7:08PM

The West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, with a man they said is New Zealand pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens. Photo: AP

Indonesia’s military moves to redress 1965 anti-communist purge with new rule

Descendants and relatives of alleged communists can now join the military. But amid efforts at ‘national reconciliation’ for Indonesian victims of rights violations, fears of communism and anti-Chinese sentiment continue to be exploited for political gain.

8 Apr 2022 - 6:48PMvideocam

11 arrested after deadly West Papua nightclub fight

Two of the 11 are believed to have been involved in the stabbing, the other nine allegedly committed arson; police are hunting seven others.

29 Jan 2022 - 8:54PM

Suspected Indonesia militant accused of beheadings is killed

Ahmad Gazali, a key member of the East Indonesia Mujahideen network, conducted several executions, including the beheadings of four Christian farmers.

4 Jan 2022 - 8:46PM

Photo of suspected militant Ahmad Gazali, bottom left, who was killed on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Why is a Singapore firm suing a dictator’s children over a theme park?

Mitora Pte Ltd is demanding US$40 million and trying to reclaim land and buildings that are part of the Tamam Mini Indonesia Indah park.

13 Apr 2021 - 12:59PM

Suharto’s eldest son Sigit Harjojudanto with his wife Elsye, younger brother Bambang Trihatmodjo and elder sister Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana. Photo: Reuters

Military men helped Indonesia’s democracy. Why not in Myanmar?

Indonesia’s TNI military gave up a role in politics and never tried to get it back. Myanmar’s Tatmadaw take note: TNI is now Indonesia’s most trusted institution.

26 Feb 2021 - 3:27PMvideocam

Why Southeast Asia is fascinated with political sibling rivalries

The Sukarnoputri sisters in Indonesia, Singapore’s Lee siblings and the royal family of Thailand electrify the public with their personal and electoral spats.

8 Jul 2020 - 9:39AMvideocam

Why Chinese Indonesians are choosing to study Mandarin in Taiwan

Under Suharto’s rule, Chinese Indonesians were discouraged from speaking Mandarin, but many are now embracing their heritage and using their language skills to their advantage as China invests in the country.

22 Dec 2019 - 1:25PM

Chinese Indonesian Felicia Oenica, 26, said her ability to speak Mandarin meant she got a higher starting salary than some of her peers. Photo: Randy Mulyanto

Ceritalah | From politics to pop, Javanese thrives in Indonesia despite complexities

Pop stars Via Vallen and Didi Kempot sing in Javanese and all seven Indonesian presidents, including the late Sulawesi-born BJ Habibie, have Javanese heritage.

3 Dec 2019 - 1:37PM

Panjebar Semangat, published in Surabaya, is the oldest Javanese-language magazine in Indonesia. Photo: Handout

Widodo stands by direct presidential elections but opposition is growing

Proposed constitutional changes would empower upper house of parliament to elect the country’s leader, echoing the system of the Suharto era.

6 Dec 2019 - 1:46PM

Asian Angle | Four steps for Jokowi to save Indonesian democracy

President Joko Widodo has much to reflect on as he is sworn in for his second term today. After weeks of unrest in Papua, student protests, forest fires and a knife attack on a minister, here is how he could turn the tide.

12 Dec 2019 - 1:23PM

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Opinion | Jokowi is not a real reformer – just ask Indonesian students

President Widodo is focused on serving his people largely through increased welfare and economic growth. But recent student protests have shown the complexity of the Indonesian electorate’s aspirations.

12 Dec 2019 - 1:22PMvideocam

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has signed into law a bill critics say will curtail the powers of the Corruption Eradication Commission. Photo: Reuters

Can Indonesia’s Chinese-language media be revived?

Suharto, the late Indonesian dictator, banned all Chinese-language education and media in the country. In the years since his resignation, Mandarin news has only had a small audience – but could that be about to change?

15 Jun 2020 - 11:56AMvideocam

Is Indonesian democracy doomed to repeat a cycle of violence?

Writer Andreas Harsono spent 15 years and carried out 2,000 interviews for his book looking into the themes of race, Islam and power.

19 Jun 2019 - 12:47PM

Indonesian Chinese still face prejudice. Can one Muslim make a difference?

Azmi Abubakar hopes the Indonesian Solidarity Party can lower the level of prejudice among young people. He faces an uphill struggle to get elected on April 17, but there is hope that his message of tolerance will take root.

1 Apr 2019 - 3:09PM

Pro-democracy activist Azmi Abubakar. Photo: Valerian Timothy

Reformasi sweep: Indonesia’s elections prove ‘people power’ has legs

Reformers with proven track records upend the incumbent status quo in three major provinces, all good signs that the country’s president could ride his reformist credentials into another term in office.

1 Jul 2018 - 8:49AM

An Indonesian man shows his finger after voting at a polling station in Depok, Indonesia. Photo: EPA

Game over for glory days of Indonesian badminton?

Indonesian badminton has fallen on hard times. But a retired star sees reason for cheer – and remembers the good old days weren’t always so good for the country’s ethnic Chinese.

3 Jun 2018 - 1:02PMvideocam

Burned, beaten, electrocuted – and they fear for Indonesia’s future

Twenty years after Indonesia’s Reformasi movement started, the activists who were persecuted under the dictator Suharto warn that the country could be backsliding into authoritarianism.

20 May 2018 - 2:33PM

Indonesia’s economic promised land: to many, still just a promise

Just two decades on from the Asian financial crisis and the fall of Suharto, the Indonesian economy has passed the trillion-dollar milestone and entered the G20. Yet ways to redistribute its wealth remain stubbornly elusive.

20 May 2018 - 10:32AM

With only dangerous oil maps for illumination at night, children who live in Weepatando village in Southwest Sumba are finding it hard to excel due to poor lighting at their houses. Photo: Resty Woro Yuniar

20 years on, has Indonesia banished Suharto’s ghost?

Indonesia has come far on its road to democracy. Yet the dictator’s generals retain influence, pockets of extremism fester, freedoms are being whittled away and a corrupt judiciary holds court.

19 May 2018 - 2:14PM

Indonesia has come far on its road to democracy. Yet the dictator’s generals retain influence, pockets of extremism fester, freedoms are being whittled away and a corrupt judiciary holds court.

Being Chinese Indonesian: the angry mobs have gone, but …

The fall of Suharto was marked by anti-Chinese riots that killed 1,000. Twenty years on, violent repression is in the past, yet resentment of a largely Christian community in a largely Muslim country remains.

19 May 2018 - 1:02PM

Why are ethnic Chinese still being denied land in Indonesia?

Twenty years since the fall of Suharto, a sultanate clings to colonial era notions and a ban on ‘non natives’ owning land – raising questions as to whether the country has laid to rest its dark past of racial and religious tensions.

18 May 2018 - 4:44PM

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