CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- In the 1970s and '80s, I had the opportunity to closely observe the Indonesian scene. A series of professional visits allowed me not only to appreciate the archipelago's progress and predominant regional role but also to evaluate many of its leaders -- from then-President Suharto and his ministers to the galaxy of senior civil servants and others beneath them. But a paramount dimension was missing: the voice of the Indonesian people.

That voice was finally heard loud and clear in 1998 when decades of "benevolent paternalism" came to an end. The events that followed are known to all. In this year of crucial elections in Indonesia, a pause for reflection seems in order.

The general perception now is that much has been achieved already, but perhaps much more remains in question. The road from moderate but still authoritarian governance to political pluralism has never been easy anywhere, but it is a particularly difficult challenge in Indonesia, given its multitude of islands, its huge population and the delicate balance that exists between the prerogatives of the center and the needs of the periphery.