INDONESIAN democracy is one of the Asia-Pacific's most remarkable recent accomplishments. The turn this giant country made from autocracy under Suharto to a system of one person, one vote is truly breathtaking. Indonesia has been transformed.
At the same time, Jakarta is well aware that stable democracy is not an easily won goal; the country cannot rest on its laurels. Indeed, Indonesians can learn an important lesson from their colleagues in Thailand; strengthen the institutions of democracy when you have the opportunity, and don't wait until crisis comes knocking.
During the Cold War, Southeast Asia was led by a handful of autocratic, strong leaders - Suharto, Mahathir, Marcos, Lee Kuan Yew and, it could be argued, the king of Thailand. For the Cold War powers, as long as these leaders could control their polity, society and economy, their Machiavellian nature was of no consequence. Supported by the Cold War architecture, these men transformed their countries from post-colonial, commodity-based economies into today's tigers of Asia. Foreign investment poured in, infrastructure was built and countries were brought into the modern era.
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