Portrait of a Young Indonesian Looking at his Surrounding

Abstract

As a mark of Soeharto’s gratitude to the student leaders of 1965/66, almost all of them were appointed members of Parliament. One group of student leaders accepted, a second group remained firmly opposed to such policy, contending that their role was moral, not political and that their place was in the university. It was this second group that demonstrated again in 1970, this time against corruption which they claimed has emerged under the Soeharto regime. Members of the first group, now in Parliament, remained silent. Arief Budiman, the author of this article, belonged to the second group. His opinion and feelings represent the young Indonesians who decided to remain independent of the political powers.