This book sketches the development of the public discourse in Indonesia until just before the monetary crisis of 1997. At that time, the discussion in civil society clearly showed the cracks in the walls of the New Order and foreshadowed its imminent undoing. The blatant contempt of justice, the regime's mendacity, its ideological bankruptcy, the poignancy of columnists, the exacerbation of political and intercommunal tensions; and the naked truth about East Timor indicated a rapid loss of the president's legitimation. Yet, political change may proceed faster than public opinion can accommodate. This study, therefore, offers a most useful baseline from which to evaluate the present progress and the confusion of the public discourse.