Can't really add much more to Roland and Maurice's posts = good article

Asoe - No it just gets worse and worse for ever - look towards the ME for several examples - We also have the potential to be much much worse because of our ingrained ethnic issues too -

I have said it before the elite et al have created and sponsored a monster believing they could always control it - but as soon as they started supporting radical arabic Islamic influences then they made a fatal error - people will do the most heinous crimes for God and in their hearts think it is ok -

Since violence begets violence, my only hope is that the negativity and downright evil within the ranks of hardliner Muslims will ultimately destroy them and their deviant faith. Islam as is now practiced by many in Indonesia and many other countries has far deviated from when it called itself "The Religion of Peace." It will destroy itself.

Mr Bramantyo Prijosusilo - I did like your article very much and I do hope that the majority of Indonesians would embrace your thoughts and your proposed actions.

However, I do believe that due to systematic misinformation in schools even the young generation does not have a clear opinion about the sad state of affairs in their own country. For the older generation I believe all hope is lost to embrace their power to stand up against the mal-service the government is providing for them. There are a few factors for this.

- Lack of education (this counts for at least 70% of Indonesia;s population).

- A strong religious influence of local clerics who refuse to provide their congregations with clear thoughts. Reasons for that are loss of their local power bases and in many cases loss of financial contributions provided by the very same groups who want to destroy Indonesia.

- Complete apathy in regards of the political situation, also due to the influence of TV. If one turns to local channels all can be seen is escape from reality via hour long shows about the life of celebrities, brainless soap operas, permanent product advertisement to consume even more and more and more, pseudo-religious TV preachers, police shows (however seldom about the real white collar criminals supposedly leading our country into a better future - logical though because they do own the TV stations) but as good as never a critical voices pointing out the dire state of affairs. Or, if they are for once willing to show something critical are getting pressured by hardliners, with the support of the law enforcement (because they simply resort to non-action to "not offend") - one example would be the recent cancelled movie "?" by SCTV

- lack of a real middle class which could make a change in the political landscape. So far, a majority of Indonesians have to count every day every Rupiah to survive the next day and these people can easily be bought with a kilo of rice, a t-shirt and a small financial contribution. The ones who would not care for these cheap tricks to buy their votes are probably less than 20% of Indonesians, but unfortunately these 20% are in many cases also just the first generation of people who came so far and all their thoughts are not about political issues but about how to polish their image and to display their new found "wealth".

- And of course lack of law enforcement. May it be the police who is entangled in corruption cases itself and rather prefers to make headlines fighting petty crimes instead of the real culprits (we know why - because some of the REAL culprits are within their very own ranks), the sad state of justice itself, easy-handedly giving heavy sentences to people who disturb the moral (dictated by the very same hardliners they should actually fight) just to appease to them as pious, but fail completely to punish the ones who rob the country of every resource to build up a proper education system, infrastructure etc. which would then automatically open the eyes of the general population to the misdeeds of these people and would lift huge percentages of the population out of poverty.

So were we are standing is that voices promoting democracy and pointing out the imminent danger we are facing are getting not heard or they are getting intimidated (remember last year's case of the ICW fellow who got a beating but the perpetrators got never found and punished, despite assurances of the police), the vicious circle of lack of education, lack of infrastructure to keep the majority mindless and careless about the political state as their imminent worries are logically just within their personal problems to have a roof over their head and food on the table. I believe actually that it happens purposefully from a few directions like that. From the government itself, at least by the ones whose personal and political background suggests that they are not actual supporters for a democracy and also from the religious quarters which also knows well that they would quickly lose their lucrative power bases as soon people would be able to see behind the carefully set up stages, words and "moral" pressure points. The only ones we hear over and over again are the loud screamers, the various hard-line groups who are able to influence court proceedings, political decisions, who are able to intimidate the "little people", who are able destroy, kill, bomb...

Well, I stop now, because I start ranting all along, but there is one quote (I forgot though who said or wrote it) which goes at about like that " A true and strong democracy can only be achieved with a strong middle class" and I have all reasons to believe that this is true!

This is a great article. Thank you for reminding us that there are citizens out there who give a damn about Indonesia's sky falling, and that there are ways to and means to combat the hardliners.

For those outside these shores, i hope it serves to open some eyes as to the dark, evil powers that are being exercised to undermine Indonesia's fragile democracy.

Of course, if there was a leader in power who was not beholden to some corrupt and / or religious agenda, then this situation might not be so dire. It speaks volumes for the country described by President Obama as a model of religious tolerance one year ago, that it is clearly and undeniably murderously intolerant, and apparently so, by dint of certain governmental ministers' negligence or agenda.

In this picture, I did not know that the hardliners wear converse shoes and jeans instead of sandals and white robes....LOL