As the country gears up to commemorate its 65th anniversary tomorrow, many Indonesian’s are still waiting for the fruits of independence.

Despite making remarkable strides since the overthrow of the Suharto dictatorship 12 years ago, critics say that widespread corruption, poor law enforcement, a culture of impunity for rights abuses and the growing use of draconian libel laws to muzzle critics is undermining the gains won by the 1998 reformasi movement.

While the political elite sell off the country’s enormous natural wealth and divide the spoils among themselves, more than half of Indonesia’s 240 million people live on less than US$2 a day, 25% of children under five are malnourished, only 48% of the rural poor have access to clean water and only 55% of poor children complete junior high schoo

Politician: Remember... during the holy fasting month we should control our passion and lust.

Man: Including the lust for corruption?

Politician: Let me get back to you on that one...

Home to almost 10 million people, 8 million motorcycles and 3 million cars, Jakarta is the only mega-city in the world without a mass rapid transport system, and it is now commonplace for people to spend four or more hours commuting to and from work each day.

Kid: So what’s crooked, you or the building?

Legislator: The camera.

Exhaust reads: Performance

Driver: Before ‘time was money’, now time is always traffic Mr...

From an opinion piece in the Jakarta daily Kompas by Kontras coordinator Usman Hamid titled “The Attorney General and Justice for the Victims”.

Man: The Bank Century case, this case that case, case XYZ, to the piggy bank case, they will all be fully investigated! Full, full, fully!

Kid: Will!