Conclusion

Abstract

The literature suggests that the outcome of a ‘pact’ transition depends, in part, on the nature of the foundational bargain (Karl 1990: 15). And while this mode of transition may afford a degree of stability, the trade-off is a series of compromises that generally weigh in favour of established elites (Karl and Schmitter 1991: 274). As the Indonesian case demonstrates, mass protests did provide a catalyst for change, but despite this, political elites still managed to maintain a level of control over the transition. In other words, major reform took place, but political elites simultaneously reinvented their roles according to rules that emerged in contingent circumstances of change.