Word: suhartos
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...forces of change wanted to sweep away not just Suharto but also all the political and economic abuses he embodied. They were held back, in the end, by the military establishment's innate deference, caution and desire for stability. The rest of the world reacted coolly to the elevation of a Suharto confidant perceived as particularly ill equipped to rescue Indonesia from its economic ruin. In Washington, Clinton Administration officials assumed that Habibie's tenure would be short, and they hoped the country could then move on to real reform...
...presidential office. "I don't see Habibie enjoying meaningful political support from anyone," said Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, a former Minister of Environment. "In the economic crisis we lost trust. We have to regain trust, and Habibie is not the man for that." Indonesia's transition out of the Suharto era into a modern, free-market democracy has, with his departure, just barely begun...
...past two weeks have been traumatic. Seething frustration at increased food prices and widespread layoffs provoked by the worst economic crisis in decades crystallized into the demand for Suharto's removal. Intellectuals and students extended their anger to the country's lack of real democracy in a system that not only perpetuated Suharto and the army in power but also squelched press freedom, genuine opposition parties and independent courts. But for most ordinary Indonesians it was the spiraling bus fares and price of cooking oil forced on them by corruption and malfeasance that cost Suharto his legitimacy. Much...
...powerful military. Economists and stock analysts around Asia question Habibie's ability to bring sensible change to Indonesia's choking economy--his big-spending statist policies are anathema to the International Monetary Fund--and politicians forecast continuing turmoil as secular and religious groups compete for influence now that Suharto's strong restraining hand has been lifted...
...Suharto himself had reservations about Habibie's ability to rule on his own. On Tuesday, the President summoned a group of Islamic leaders to discuss the mounting protests. According to participant Nurcholish Madjid, a political observer from the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, when they told Suharto he could not hold on and should step down, he asked, "Can you guarantee that if Vice President Habibie becomes the President, the troubles will end?" The men in the room remained silent, says Nurcholish. "None of us wanted Habibie to be President...