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Islam, Democracy and Human Rights in Contemporary Indonesia17We, the Indonesian people, are not the exception. Leavingthe past behind, we have started to rebuild our nation and toreshape our society for a better future. As we gradually emergefrom economic, social and political crisis, we should not forgetthe lessons we have learned from our national developmentpolicies of the past three decades. We failed to recognize thethree inseparable elements for sustainable development, namelya proper balance between economic growth, democracy, andrespect for human rights. This policy once yielded unprecedented achievements in economic growth and povertyalleviation, however over time it turned out to be fragile. Thereform process which we experienced at the end of the twentiethcentury was in essence the result of our own self-examination,a process of self-correction, which was triggered by most painfulcrisis in our modem history. In the face of the challenges broughtabout by a new political environment of freedom, a nationwideeffort is underway setting the new foundation for our political,economic and social life. This effort includes reorienting ourdevelopment strategy to secure a balance between economicgrowth, democracy and respect for human rights. Painful asthis process is, Indonesia has entered the new millennium as anew era of democratization.Indonesia is now truly engaged in a process of unprecedented and fundamental reforms in all fields, notably in thepolitical, economic, social and legal sectors through strong engagement on the supremacy of law. These reforms are aimed atspeeding up our national recovery from the social and economicsystem, and upholding the rule of law. In this effort, greatemphasis is being placed on democratization and human rights.Vigorous steps have been taken to strengthen institutions,