Dicky Christanto, Denpasar – Indonesia's regimes since 1998 have made all sorts of promises but few have been implemented and – even worse – the oppressive political system persists, a discussion here concluded Saturday.

Rights activist I Wayan Gendo Suardana said he was living proof of how the current government is continuing the oppressive political system.

"I was detained, put on trial and sentenced to prison for an action the state deemed an insult to the president. So, what kind of government is that? We should have already known," he told the forum participants.

A former student activist turned rights advocate, Gendo was sentenced in June 2005 to six months in prison by the Denpasar District Court. He was found guilty of insulting the head of state following a street demonstration against the oil price hike. During the rally, Gendo burned a photograph of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The discussion was held to review current government policies and to launch Gendo's political memoir Why I Burned the Photograph of eSBeYe. The discussion, organized by a group of activists called Frontier, also featured former lawmaker Sri Bintang Pamungkas.

Gendo said the government had wasted its time by imprisoning him because it failed to solve the real problem behind the protest. The oppressive action had only sullied the government's image as a regime concerned about democracy, he said.

"The government should pay more attention to the actual issue and not get distracted by creating other unnecessary and weak issues such as insults to public officials."

Sri Bintang Pamungkas said the government's approach to public issues had only revealed its inability and lack of integrity in governing the country, and the government should restore presidential mandates to the people.

"In the 10 years since the 1998 reform, almost nothing good has happened in this country. Indeed, what we see today is more suffering because people can hardly bear everyday burdens caused by the soaring prices of daily necessities," he told the forum.

Former rector of Udayana University I Wayan Wita, also at the discussion, disagreed with this statement. Many good things have occurred in Indonesia, although huge improvements were needed to create a welfare state to benefit every citizen, he said.

"I know we still have a lot of homework to do but now we have the Corruption Eradication Commission, the General Elections Commission and the Election Monitoring Committee, to name a few, which have played a vital role in increasing the quality of law enforcement and political process," he said.

"Most importantly, these institutions have gained the public's trust. So how can anyone say nothing good has happened in the country?"

He said activists should encourage people to be critical of government policies by demanding the government explain the reasons for its policies.

"Judging or criticizing the government's decisions is not enough. These activists should spread their knowledge and critical attitudes so the public will learn how to get involved in and influence the government's policy-making process," he said.