Not since 1965, the year of living dangerously, has Indonesia been so close to collapse.A darkness threatens to engulf this nation, a darkness spawned by corruption, abuse of power and untold greed.

This is Jakarta just days ago: the military which underpins Suharto is putting on a massive display of force.As the economic crisis cuts deeper these soldiers know unrest could break out at any time.

There’s now a mood of defiance in this nation; more and more that defiance is being levelled directly at President Suharto.

I think, I am sorry to say this to your audience, that Suharto is not the answer; Suharto is not the solution; I think is the problem, not a part and parcel of the problem - he is the problem - it is the definite article.

To speak out in such blunt terms is to run the risk of being thrown in jail - but growing numbers of people are now prepared to take that risk. For years, independent trade Union leader Mukhtar Pakpahan has been dragged through the courts, courts which do the government’s bidding.

Arrested in 1994, in the wake of labour riots, he now stands charged with one of the most serious crimes in the land, subversion.

Be very clear, this trial is about trade union rights, it’s not about subversion.

Pakpahan is still under detention and now runs his Union from this hospital bed.

All the members of my union are suffering and all the labourers in Indonesia are suffering too because of the crisis, because of the situation.

Our meeting was bizarre; guards rested just metres away, unaware their prisoner was conducting an interview on the tumultuous events unfolding outside his hospital cell.

R: Do you see social unrest occurring? Pakpahan: Yes, very possible...very possible, this time, will produce social unrest, according to my prediction, it can happen after this fasting, after labaran.

Facing a possible death penalty if convicted of subversion and suffering from a lung tumour, Pakpahan still refuses to remain silent.

I have seen the silent anger of the people and the focussing of the anger on Suharto’s families and Suharto’s cronies, even though the people couldn’t voice frankly and transparently but you know, 1996, Suharto also arrest me and he charge me with death penalty, and now what happens, what I predicted 6 years ago, is happening now.

When I arrived in 1993, Suharto was at the height of his power.The smiling general had transformed himself into the ‘Father of Development’ ... ruthlessly sidelining political opponents along the way.The economy was growing at a brisk 8% a year, but even so cracks were beginning to appear in Suharto’s so called ‘New Order’.More and more, Suharto was turning away from sound economic advice to listen to his palace cronies. People like research and technology minister Jusuf Habibie.

It’s not a matter of just making airplanes or making ships, it’s a matter of answering the question ‘To be or not to be’.

When I interviewed him in 1994, Dr Habibie’s passion for ‘hi-tech’ became clear from the start. His economic modelling took a little longer to grasp...

B1 is low density, B2 is medium density, B3 is high density of capital, where capital in my model means.....

At the time, I questioned him about the warning bells some economists were already sounding.

R: But your critics say Indonesia can’t afford high technology industries at this stage of your development; they say that you’re leap-frogging.Habibie: I never do leap-frogging. What I’ve done is accelerated evolution.

Dr Habibie’s obsession with high-tech, high-cost industries drained billions of dollars from Indonesia’s coffers.

It was Habibie who sent the rupiah plummeting to record lows last month when it was hinted that he’d become the next vice-president.

He’s an old friend of President Suharto, he’s been a loyal friend, he has over the years carried out many missions for him, but most investors, most businessmen regard him as irrational, so his appointment as vice-president would be a significant blow to confidence.

While the president’s cronies prospered, it was Suharto’s grasping children, like youngest son Tommy, who benefitted most from Indonesia’s new found wealth.

..if I can say bluntly a kind of quote unquote organised crime conducted by the children of those people who are in power in this country.

As the president’s family amassed vast fortunes, they behaved much like the royalty that once ruled over Java.Much of the resentment boiled to the surface two years ago in support of an alternative leader.

Megawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of Indonesia’s First President, stepped into the centre of the public stage.

I have the support of the people, so let the people say what they want to do.

Seen as a threat, the government ousted her from the leadership of the country’s democratic party and turned on her supporters.It was a watershed exposing in the crudest of ways the lengths Suharto was prepared to go to, to crush dissent.

I am so surprised that it really happened, the violence, the hard action, to take my Headquarters..

The following year, Megawati was banned from participating in elections, but support for her remained high, coming from key quarters, like the Moslem community.

I think this was the worst ever during the New Order, the election was not direct, not secret, not free and not fair and not just, you know...I think this is a very spectacular and disgusting manipulation of the elections.

Amien Rais is one man who can speak his mind openly - his protection is his popularity. Rais heads the 28 million strong Moslem group Muhommadiyah.Although a religious leader rather than a politician, he is increasingly building up a political support base and even talks of running for President.

I want to be able to break the myth as if only Suharto was able to be President and nobody else and then I want to break the myth by putting myself as a candidacy.

It’s now Chinese New Year, but here in Jakarta, the streets are strangely subdued. There are no public celebrations, no fireworks, no dragon dances, none of the sorts of festivities that mark the beginning of the lunar year elsewhere in the world. Fear of attracting attention has made Indonesia’s Chinese cautious even in the safest of times, but now, in the midst of this crisis, it’s no exaggeration to say that the Chinese are terrified.

But in recent weeks regular anti-Chinese demonstrations have been staged which were far from spontaneous...this protest outside a Chinese think-tank was highly orchestrated.Many Chinese suspect the government has had a hand in these rallies - in a bid to shift some of the blame for the countries economic woes.

All this comes at a time when the Chinese are supposed to be celebrating...literally millions head home for the holidays marking the end of the Moslem fasting month.But there’s little holiday spirit this year. Many can’t afford to buy traditional presents. Some aren’t going back to their villages because they’re too ashamed to tell their families that they’ve lost their jobs.

I have nothing to bring home. I go home just like this without anything for my family. Usually I take cookies and clothes and other gifts. I force myself not to be embarrassed.

Some though can’t even afford to go home for the holidays; for them the currency crisis has been devastating.

The only cheap thing now are chilies. Rice has gone up; cooking oil has gone up, eggs have gone up.

With the construction industry at a standstill Mariani’s husband Sukian now has no job, one of more than a million now unemployed in Greater Jakarta.

It’s very difficult to get any money. We can’t go home this year because we have no money. What I have is barely enough to make ends meet here for my family.

And of course there is no social welfare, the poor must fend for themselves.

Even those who Suharto helped create the middle class are now daring to speak out.Oriana Shaw is a chemical engineer who runs a mining company...as she welcomes her less well off neighbours, this Lebaran holiday, talk inevitably focuses on the economic crisis.

Oriana: Labaran - this is not so festive.Neighbour: Because there’s a crisis.

So far as Oriana is concerned, corruption in her country is careening out of control as those at the top wantonly abuse their power.

Oriana: All the people say, there is a democracy here although it is not a real democracy. Democracy means everybody can say anything they want without fear and for years and years..for example, why should a student not be able to speak up that is a symptom of no democracy why are they scared of it; national dialogue, why are they worried about it; if they are really right and if they really know what they are doing and know that they are doing right, why are they scared ? - why do they not open up for national dialogue for example ?R: You seem very angry about this, you seem very frustrated.Oriana: Yes, sure. Because I see hypocrisy surrounding us all the time, we are fooled, I mean the people are fooled.

It is people like Oriana who are increasingly turning to alternative leaders. Amien Rais and Megawati Sukarnoputri have now combined forces. The strength of their combined voices poses an unprecedented challenge to President Suharto.

The only thing to recover the people’s trust is only by seeing Suharto stand down; there is no other alternative.

Ramadan is over. Ageing and besieged, President Suharto celebrates the end of the fasting month. Thousands of onlookers throng Jakarta’s central square watched over by wary security forces - in the next few weeks millions will return to Jakarta from their holiday break to unemployment rising prices and discontent.

For three decades, Suharto’s rule, underpinned by the armed forces, has been based on a clear social contract.

In return for development and stability..he’s been given almost unfettered power.That contract has now been shattered.