An Interview with Amien Rais

Abstract

Interview with Amien Rais, one of the leaders of the opposition to Indonesian President Suharto in the 1990s, also chairman at that time of the second largest Islamic organization of the country, the Muhammadiyah. The interview gives insights into the course of events in the night preceding Suharto's resignation on May 21, 1998. Rais later became Speaker of Parliament and in that capacity steered the legislature through the most important period of reforms on the way to democratization, including four rounds of constitutional amendment. Rais in the interview clarifies his position on the relationship between Islam and democracy, and why he thought it crucial to enter alliances with secular forces in the pro-democracy struggle.

Keywords: Indonesia, Suharto, reformasi, 1998, democratization, mobilization, religion, Islam