Jakarta – Indonesia's parliament closed a two-week session today in which legislators introduced sweeping constitutional changes designed to shrink the military's role in politics and boost presidential powers.
But the world's most populous Muslim nation still faces serious challenges to its fledgling democracy. Some commentators warned that behind-the-scenes power remained with the generals and an entrenched political elite.
"These changes are just cosmetic and will not alter political life in any meaningful way," said Arbi Sanit, a prominent analyst and professor at the University of Indonesia.
In rejecting calls for the introduction of Islamic law, the lawmakers bolstered Indonesia's position as a moderate Muslim bulwark against the religious extremism being targeted by the US-backed war on terror.
President Megawati Sukarnoputri has not commented on the reforms, which allow for direct presidential elections. Until now the assembly had chosen the president.
On Saturday, the 700-member People's Consultative Assembly also agreed to abolish by 2004 the 38 unelected seats reserved for the military in the subordinate 500-member national parliament. Members of parliament are also part of the larger assembly. The military, therefore, would have no representation in either body.
The seats were granted under the dictatorship of Gen. Suharto after he seized power from Megawati's father, Sukarno, in the 1960s. Suharto was ousted after pro-democracy protests in 1998.
Representatives of the military have been eager to withdraw from parliament because their presence has made them the focus of domestic and foreign critics who accuse the armed forces of human rights abuses.
Instead, senior generals now are likely to wield power and influence mostly in private dialogue with Megawati, said Dede Oetomo, a professor at Airlangga University in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city.
"It's probably easier to do it at the palace than at parliament," he said. "There is no light yet for Indonesia at the end of the tunnel." Megawati needed the generals' support last year to oust her predecessor, Abdurrahman Wahid, who had made enemies among the military leadership by trying to assert civilian control. Her administration has abandoned those reforms. The generals' political confidence has been boosted by US attempts to recruit Indonesia into its international anti-terrorism coalition.
The United States wants to restore military ties and financial support severed after Indonesian troops laid waste to East Timor in 1999 and committed massive human rights violations when the East Timorese voted to break free of Indonesian rule.
Last week, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell visited Jakarta and announced a $50 million program to assist Indonesia's security forces in the anti-terrorism struggle.
The program was put in place despite criticism from Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), who sponsored the law that ended ties. Robert Gelbard, who served as US ambassador here until last year, has also argued against new military links.
Indria Samego, a political observer from Jakarta's Institute of Science, said the changes adopted Saturday, particularly direct presidential elections, were "an experiment" that could easily be undone. "We have to see how they are implemented," Samego said.