A nation in crisis

Many readers do not realise how long it takes to bring out a little magazine like ours. How do you report a storm of change, as it is happening around us, in a quarterly magazine? We went to press in mid-February. How must the news of January read in April? The collapse of the Asian miracle was so sudden. As Walden Bello says, it 'ranks second only to the unraveling of Soviet socialism as the greatest surprise of the last half-century'.

January was marked by a sense of new hope mixed with grave anxiety. Arief Budiman's snapshot of the fragile democratic alliance between Megawati and Amien Rais shows us a politics struggling to break free from old animosities and reaching out to a new reality. Pijar and Infid, two groups speaking out for many within Indonesian civil society, called for a new, reformist government to lead the nation out of its depressed state. Dan Lev urged all true democrats to seize this opportune, risky moment to talk openly together about the kind of Indonesia they really want.

But other articles in this edition take a broader view. They ask, what is really going on? (Without of course forgetting the lighter side - Indonesian political humour remains as wicked as ever). For instance, asks Goenawan Mohamad, what does national pride mean when Indonesia's own elite have brought the nation to its knees? What place, asks Ben Anderson by implication, can a Suharto with such antiquated roots possibly have in today's Republic of Indonesia?

The crisis affects the whole of Southeast Asia in similar ways. Two pieces go beyond the borders of Indonesia. Michael Vatikiotis reflects on the strange fact that authoritarianism has been weakened by market forces rather than by a moral movement for democracy. He asks in effect, what can politics do to hold the gains? Walden Bello takes a sceptical look at the self- righteous free-marketism Americans are now foisting on Asia through the IMF. He prefers to see Asia recover on its own people's terms, thank you very much.

Meanwhile, the environmental issues we had planned to put on the front cover have had to be content with a solid section towards the rear. Don't pass by this section, nor the one on social conditions! These authors write from direct experience in often remote parts of Indonesia. Their material is strong and original. Our hearty thanks to them, as to all our authors, who made this edition what it is.