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Democracy take-off? : The B.J. Habibie period
This is the first book that offers a comprehensive analysis of the Habibie presidency. Comprising a collection of writings by experts from Indonesia\r\nand overseas, as well as by some people who have known Habibie well, this book provides divergent views on Habibie - the man and his important leg-\r\nacy. Though still far from perfect, Indonesia is now well-recognized as the world\'s third largest democracy, and there is now a growing appreciation\r\nof Habibie\'s role as the \"Father of Democracy\". Although his government only lasted for 517 days, Habibie succeeded in laying down the groundwork\r\nfor transforming the Indonesian political system from a military-dominated authoritarian regime to become a democracy with empowered civil society.\r\nYet Habibie is not free from controversy. As an engineer and a close associate of President Suharto, many doubted Habibie\'s commitment and ability to carry out the reform and manage the transition towards democracy.\r\nThis book contains critical views on the authenticity of Habibie as a democratic reformer, as well as equally convincing arguments about Habibie\'s\r\ndemocratic credential as a result of his study and long period of living in Germany. Important initiatives undertaken during the Habibie presidency\r\nsuch as freeing the press, introducing wide-ranging regional autonomy and opening the way for East Timor\'s independence are also discussed in de-\r\ntails in this book. With 14 years gone by since the Habibie presidency, there is now sufficient distance for us to give a more objective account of\r\nthis brief but decisive period in Indonesian modern history.
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