Democracy Indonesian-style is full of irony. And it is written most clearly in the fate of the part that takes its name from the concept, the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle or PDI-P.

This mammoth of the Indonesian political scene won the most votes in last year’s historic general election. It also won the most seats in the House of Representatives (DPR). But its leader Megawati Sukarnoputri had to settle for the vice-presidency. The