In similar terms to Pakistan, the Indonesian military is the cement of the social order and from an Indonesian perspective, vital in holding the archipelago together.
The military is across or running every known racket in the archipelago,ably assisted by the police and navy, where they can. They are a vital link in the informal transportation of refugees to Australia.
The Indonesian military control West Papua, to the misery of the indigenous melanesian population and they are ever ready to step into Aceh, Flores,Sulawesi or Bali, should a restive local population challenge Javanese rule and corruption.
The welcome changes that have occurred must be seen as taking place within the military framework, although, as will be appreciated, the politics and social dynamics are complex and singularly fascinating.
Bruce Haigh

Saccharin sweet hyperbole Julie?
The recent reforms in Burma underline the very different way of Asian diplomacy, which seemingly values face saving over life, in some communities?
We seem to have our fair share of loud bullies, who favour megaphone diplomacy over a convivial cup of tea and polite but private straight conversations, which often see much more progress; that all the sabre rattling rhetoric and oceans of iron, can ever achieve?
Or indeed, practised straight faced liars, whose verbal agreements are hardly worth the paper they are written on.
The patently corrupt and murderous military has far too much say and or power, in both Indonesia and Burma.
To date, nobody has been asked to account/answer for the mindless massacre; of all those unarmed Burmese Buddhist Monks, whose only crime was to protest Military rule and oppression. Rhrosty.