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Independence Day: A Different Year for Indonesia
What Remains of Reformasi in Today’s Indonesia
This week marks the 79th anniversary of Indonesia’s independence. Celebrations will take place all around Indonesia, including upacara bendera (flag-raising ceremonies), parades in some cities, and festive and traditional games in local communities.
I was born during a period of widespread bloodshed in my country between 1965 and 1966. So, basically, I grew up under Soeharto’s totalitarian rule (1967–1998). Only after Reformasi (Reformation)1998 in my thirties, did I realize what true democracy is.
From my childhood to high school in Surakarta, Central Java, I had to attend flag-raising ceremonies at my schools every year. These ceremonies were a symbol of our independence. But even as a child, I sometimes felt disconnected, wilting in the scorching sun while standing firmly at attention. Several decades later, I thought this discomfort might reflect the anxious character of political reality during Suharto’s regime at that time, when the illusion of independence hid the terrible reality of an authoritarian power.
