Admin | 
08 20th, 2002 | 
Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo Former Governor,National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) Jakarta There are three important events in history that necessitate reevaluation of the relations between Indonesia and the United States. The first event is the end of the Cold War with the victory of the U.S. and the end of the Soviet superpower. Second is the East Asian economic crisis of 1997 and the subsequent resignation of president Soeharto in 1998. And the third is the Sept. 11 tragedy and the start of the U.S. war against terrorism. Since the defeat of the Soviet superpower, the U.S. has become the world’s only superpower regarding its military, technology and scientific advances. Although no hegemony will last forever, as with the termination of British supremacy in World War II, we can expect that the U.S. power will remain at least for the next quarter of a century. Alternative superpowers such as China and Japan are unlikely in the next decade. Indonesia has to face that fact and adjust her attitude accordingly. On the read more .....
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 08/08/2002 12:12 PM Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo, Former Governor, National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas), Jakarta There seems to be a general acceptance that the constitutional problems Indonesia is facing should be solved by the establishment of a constitutional commission. Even the groups that originally were against any changes to the 1945 Constitution, are showing signs that they are not against a constitutional commission. It looks as if they have realized that there must be some compromise to avoid a total deadlock. There are, however, many aspects that have to be considered before an effective constitutional commission can start work. First is its composition. The general opinion is that it should consist mostly of academicians and other experts. There is a feeling among people that they cannot trust politicians to achieve effective results. Even the people who support the constitutional amendments made by the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) are demanding improvement in the read more .....