"There is no denial that we are firm in upholding democracy," said Indonesia's President Sukarno last week, "but the question remains: Is democracy as practiced in our country already perfect and suitable to our needs? Think it over."
In the first week of Indonesia's corruption-ridden and strife-torn eighth year of independence, there was much food for thought. The huge island of Sumatra (whose oil and rubber provide two-thirds of Indonesia's export revenue) was in open revolt against the government. Sumatrans complain that the national government, sitting in the Java capital of Djakarta, is too Java-centered.* Last week in North Sumatra, three...
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