Constitutionally a Winner

The

world's third largest democracy took a great leap forward last week when Indonesia's highest legislative body agreed to sweeping constitutional reforms, paving the way for direct presidential elections in 2004. The fractious People's Consultative Assembly, a holdover from the three-decade rule of deposed President Suharto, also agreed to transform itself into a bicameral body similar to the United States Congress. "This is historical," enthuses political analyst and columnist Bara Hasibuan. "For the first time, we'll be using a presidential system where all branches are equal. There will now be a separation of power rather than a division of power."

Incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri looks to gain the greatest immediate benefit from the changes. As virtually the only Indonesian politician with national recognition, electoral triumph in 2004 seems almost assured for the increasingly aloof leader. Besides the assurance of a public mandate, Megawati will also be spared the threat of removal by the unruly assembly, which last year impeached Abdurrahman Wahid after he served just 21 months of his five-year presidential term.

In another significant step away from the Suharto era, the powerful military will also lose some political clout under the new constitution. The armed forces and police had previously been guaranteed a presence in parliament through appointed seats. Minority hardline Islamic parties also took a hit. Their push to insert a clause in the constitution making the country's Muslims subject to Islamic law drew minimal support. That resounding rejection of Shari'a by the world's largest Muslim nation may mean more to the country's immediate future than the shot in the arm the constitutional changes give to the country's shaky democracy.

Branded!
They'll be watching you
By BRYAN WALSH

The Japanese have stoically endured recession, do-nothing politicians and the male makeup craze, but even a conformist society has certain hot buttons that are better left unpushed. Last week's launch of a computerized national ID system, which tags every citizen with a unique 11-digit number, triggered vehement protests throughout the country by those who fear Big Government is getting an efficient tool to invade their privacy. Some local prefectures refused to go along: Yokohama, the country's second-largest city, made participation voluntary, while three other municipalities opted out. Similar ID-card networks are being introduced in Malaysia and Hong Kong with little public outcry. But a survey by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper found that 86% of Japanese were concerned personal information would be misused. For now, the system only allows retrieval of basic information like addresses, but critics say a centralized network could be the first step in aggregating files residing in disparate bureaucratic databanks. The government has yet to draft an accompanying privacy law as promised. Worse, the new registry accidentally leaked information two days after the launch, sending letters to households in Moriguchi that contained the ID numbers, gender information and birthdates of other people. Adding insult to injury: Japanese cows were given a 10-digit ID in the wake of last fall's mad cow scare. Humans, who get 11 digits, are feeling a little like livestock.

Getting an "F" in Ethics
By BRYAN WALSH

Q: What's the best way to ace the Graduate Record Examinations? a) Study hard; b) Guess blindly; c) Cheat. For some aspiring grad students in Asia, the answer apparently is "c." According to administrators of the GRE, the primary entrance exam used by U.S. graduate schools, a substantial number of the 55,000 annual applicants in China, Taiwan and Korea may have raised their verbal English scores by cribbing answers supplied by Chinese and Korean websites. Educational Testing Service, the U.S. company that runs the GRE, claims students were able to beat the system because electronic tests were offered so frequently that questions had to be re-used often. That made it easy for students to compare notes and tip off their peers via the Internet. The service will suspend electronic versions of the exam in the three countries, instead giving paper-based tests just twice a year. Officials became suspicious after colleges complained that incoming students' impressive scores were sometimes belied by their lousy English. It's unclear how many were involved, but in China alone the average verbal score rose by more than 14% this year compared with last year, a gain officials say can only be explained by mass cheating. Officials can't tell who broke the rules, so all individual scores will stand. Who says cheaters never prosper?