Its very flatness and simplicity allow writers to feel that they can mold it in their own image and according to their own aspirations. Nonetheless, even if for the chosen few indonesian’s lack of givenness creates a sense of liberation, both literary and political, there has always been an underlying cultural risk involved. Especially since the revolution, the language’s lack of cultural resonances, of a solid tradition, has led to unexpected transformations , as we shall see below.