Bekasi, Indonesia – The downfall of Indonesian dictator Suharto, one of the most corrupt, brutal rulers of the past century, swept in political freedom and hope for a better future.
But nearly a decade later, many in this nation of 235 million remain desperately poor. And in interviews with laborers, traders, hotel owners and entrepreneurs, Indonesians expressed what was once unthinkable – nostalgia for the economic stability of his authoritarian, U.S.-backed regime.
“What people want, what I want, is a return to Suharto’s time,” said Boan, a peasant who struggles to feed his three children by toiling in fields owned by wealthy farmers. “Life is bitter now compared to then.”
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the fourth head of state since Suharto’s ouster in 1998, has not made good on promises to cut poverty since his election three years ago. Around half the population lives on less than $2 a day, and democracy can be a hard sell if it fails to provide prosperity.
