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12Islam, Democracy and Human Rights in Contemporary Indonesiaagencies, government and NGO representatives from manydifferent counties to share our common problems, concerns andexpectations as a member one single mankind family. Our differences in terms of social, cultural, languages and historical backgrounds, should create a new mosaic like a perfect harmony ofthe beautiful spectrum of the rainbow. Within this spirit, letme share with you about our latest situation in Indonesia.By the end of the twentieth century and the beginning ofthe new millennium, the world community, especially in developing countries, is taking of its achievements and failures, andreflecting upon common past experiences and lessons whichshould be drawn from them. We, the Indonesian people, arenot the exception. Leaving the past behind, we have started torebuild our nation and to reshape our society for a better future.As we gradually emerge from economic, social and politicalcrisis, we should not forget the lessons we have learned fromour national development policies of the past three decades. Wefailed to recognize the three inseparable elements for sustainabledevelopment, namely a proper balance between economic growth,democracy, and respect for human rights. This policy once yieldedunprecedented achievements in economic growth and povertyalleviation, however over time it turned out to be fragile.The reform process which we experienced at the end of thetwentieth century was in essence the result of our own selfexamination, a process of self-correction, which was triggeredby most painful crisis in our modern history. In the face of thechallenges brought about by a new political environment offreedom, a nationwide effort is underway setting the newfoundation for our political, economic and social life. This effortincludes reorienting our development strategy to secure a

