Suwarjono, Jakarta – Journalists have returned to a “period of gloom” at the new presidential palace. The freedoms which were enjoyed during the presidencies of B.J. Habibie, Gus Dur (Abdurrahman Wahid) and Megawati Sukarnoputri are gone.

Luhur Hertanto, Jakarta – Two days before his inauguration as president, some 100 students from the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI) and the Greater Jakarta Student Executive Council (BEM Jabotabek) held a demonstration against president-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). They failed however to meet directly with SBY.

Compared to three months ago, the public’s assessment of the performance of President Megawati Sukarnoputri’s government in the ninth quarter of the government’s term is showing signs of a decline.