CHALLENGES AND HOPES OF INDONESIA’s REFORMATION
AS A STATE AND SOCIETY

Ricardi S. Adnan 

ABSTRACT


During the 90s era some Indonesianists, the scholars who are expert about Indonesia, described Indonesia as a multi-cultural country with potential to emerge as a strong economy. With amazing economic growth – more than 6 percent annum, Indonesia achieved tremendous development. Being gifted with rich natural resources, Indonesia enjoyed considerable self-sufficiency, ensured adequate food security, slackened the pace of population growth, controlled political disturbances, increased economic opportunities and activities alongside many other important changes. However, when the Asian economic crisis hit Indonesia in 1997, followed by the end of Soeharto’s government, the country plunged into multi-dimensional crisis. The prospects of emerging as a strong country eclipsed with the nation struggling to maintain its entity. This situation made Indonesia to introduce certain reforms aimed at transforming the state and society. This paper is attempted in this backdrop to understand how Indonesia survived through this crisis period, what transformation meant with respect to the country’s future, and how all of this linked to the concepts of nationhood and national identity. 
KEYWORDS: Crisis, transformation, reformation, identity and nationhood