By Lynn Lee, Correspondent

A DECADE is almost a century in Indonesian politics.

In the 1999 presidential election, the air was thick with hope and elation. Today, a day before 176million voters go to the polls, the mood can be described as placid at best.

One could be positive and say Indonesians are used to democracy. But it is more likely the calm is due to an unremarkable election campaign with promises galore, few specific action plans and many relics from the Suharto regime that ended in 1998 contesting the elections.

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