Activists hold posters during the 861st Kamisan (Thursday) peaceful protest on May 15, 2025 in front of the State Palace in Jakarta. The protest called on the Attorney General's Office to take concrete action on unresolved human rights violations that occurred in May 1998. - Photo: Antara
JAKARTA: Twenty-seven years after Indonesia emerged from the shadow of authoritarian rule, the nation now stands at a crossroads, as it reaches what some pro-democracy advocates describe as “the end of political reform,” marked by the dismantling of democratic institutions and the return of authoritarian tendencies.
The fall of Soeharto and his New Order regime on May 21, 27 years ago, marked the beginning of the Reform era, a transformative period that ended the military’s roles in civilian and political affairs, strengthened democracy, promoted greater regional autonomy and fostered a freer press, among other reforms.
