Hi there,

Immigration raids are spreading across the country. The agencies meant to protect public health are being dismantled from within. Public broadcasting is being defunded... Today, Democracy Now!'s independent reporting is more important than ever. Because we never accept corporate or government funding, we rely on viewers, listeners and readers like you to sustain our work. Can you start a monthly donation? Monthly donors represent more than 20 percent of our annual revenue. Thanks to a group of generous donors, all monthly donations started today will be DOUBLED, which means your $15 gift is worth $30. If you believe that freedom of speech and freedom of the press are essential to the functioning of a democratic society, please donate today. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate
Independent Global News

Indonesia Has New President, But Military Remains Firmly in Power

StoryOctober 20, 1999
Listen to Full Show
Listen
Media Options
Listen
Related

Indonesia’s Parliament today elected Muslim leader Abdurrahman Wahid as new president, after dealing a humiliating political blow to President Habibie, who withdrew from the race.

Wahid, whose political shrewdness helped him to outmaneuver the woman long held to be the front-runner for president, now faces the daunting task of leading the world’s fourth-largest country out of its worst economic crisis in a generation.

While some declared this to be the first democratic election in Indonesia since its independence, the military, responsible for gross human rights violations both in Indonesia and in East Timor, remains firmly in power. Many question the real significance of the elections as long as the military continues to control the country.

Guest:

  • John Roosa, historian of South and Southeast Asia. Speaking from Jakarta, Indonesia.

Related Story

StorySep 05, 2025Indonesia Protests: At Least 10 Killed, Thousands Arrested Amid Police Crackdown
Topics
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.
Daily News Digest
Our Daily Digest brings Democracy Now! to your inbox each morning.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top