Indonesia election: An 'impossible' country tests its hard-won democracy - BBC News

Indonesia has survived much since it ousted a dictator 26 years ago. But this election is a test.

2 days agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, BBC/ Jonathan HeadImage caption, Students protests in 1998 brought down a dictator - but Indonesia's young democracy is on an edge againBy Jonathan HeadSouth East Asia correspondentBudiman Sujatmiko has lost none of the passion that he used to show as one of the boldest student opponents of Suharto, the soft-spoken but ruthless dictator who ruled Indonesia for 32 years.

"In the 1990s our challenge was authoritarianism. We needed democracy. Today our challenge is inequality and backwardness," Budiman says in his campaign office, ahead of Indonesia's presidential race on 14 February.

In a scarcely believable twist, Budiman is now a spokesman for Prabowo Subianto - the frontrunner in the race, Suharto's son-in-law and the man who epitomises that authoritarian era. The former special forces commander has been accused of a string of human rights violations, and was sacked by the army in 1998.

"People change after 25 years, just like I have changed," Budiman says. "We have both moved to the middle."

It's a stunning turn of events. The once-disgraced military strongman and the fiery activist now find themselves on the same side in a democratic election. As unlikely as that alliance may seem, it helps tell the story of Indonesia's young, rowdy democracy.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68213679?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

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