Reinventing Indonesia presents an insider's view of the tumultuous transition that took place in Indonesia from 1997 to 2004. This was a period of unprecedented changes in democratized governance and decentralizing power throughout the country amidst significant economic turmoil. The results of these changes were not pre-ordained, but were the result of the social forces unleashed by the Asian Financial Crisis and the end of the New Order as well as the deft guidance of key policymakers. The book also examines the origins of the economic crisis of the late 1990s in Indonesia and the actions taken to address the crisis during those difficult years.
The authors were directly involved in many of the events recounted in this book, particularly Ginandjar Kartasasmita through his career in the Indonesian government under various ministerial positions. Thus, the book provides insights that could only come from those directly involved in the decision-making. It also explains the transitions that occurred in Indonesia in the context of academic theories of democratic transition and consolidation, thereby adding to the body of knowledge in this area. The Indonesian story holds lessons, therefore, for the management of financial crisis, and for the urgency of reform and development of economic and political institutions.
Sample Chapter(s)
Foreword (53 KB)
Chapter 1: Introduction: From Independence to Democracy, a 60-Year Journey (55 KB)
Contents:
- Introduction: From Independence to Democracy, a 60-Year Journey
- The Rise of the Indonesian Economy
- The Early Reform Period: 1983–1993
- Explaining the Demise
- The Crisis: 1997–1999
- The Chaos that Followed
- On the Way to Recovery and Democracy
- Democratic Consolidation: The Unfinished Business
- Significant Milestones: Constitutional Reform and 2004 Elections
- Postscript: Promises and Challenges
Readership: Academics, undergraduates and graduates, and policymakers in Asian politics; general readers with an interest in Southeast Asia.
“In this book, we learn a great deal about what went wrong in the final years under President Suharto, how policymakers understood the problems confronting Indonesia, and what they did to overcome the political and economic crises. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the collapse of Indonesia's New Order regime and the transition from centralized authoritarianism to decentralized democracy, as well as the causes and consequences of the East Asian Economic Crisis.”
Professor Takashi Shiraishi
President, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Japan
“Professor Ginandjar Kartasasmita and Dr Joseph J Stern offer a unique, detailed, and well-documented account of the last years of the New Order and the first years of Reformasi. Their book blends an insider's view of the events of that period with scholarly insights that place events within a larger intellectual framework. At the same time, they bring out the personalities at play during this period and highlight the importance of individual choices by historically important figures. I was struck time and again by how different the result could have been if leaders of a different character had been in charge at critical moments. This volume should be required reading for anyone studying this turbulent period of Indonesia's history.”
Timothy Buehrer
Chief of Party, ASEAN Connectivity through Trade and Investment (ACTI)
The ASEAN Secretariat, Indonesia
“Co-authored by a key architect of the Indonesian reforms and a keen longtime observer, Reinventing Indonesia is a fascinating analysis of political and economic change in a vast, complex, and important country. With ten years of useful hindsight and with our growing knowledge of how other countries have fared in their own transitions, we now know that such peace and prosperity as Indonesia has achieved are to be preciously valued and carefully protected. Not only is Indonesia to be praised, but the world should study and heed its good example.”
Steven B Bloomfield
Executive Director, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University
"Reinventing Indonesia will certainly be of important reading for students of politics, comparative political economy, and economics, especially those with major interests in political economy of reforms and Indonesia."
newbooks.asia
Ginandjar Kartasasmita has devoted his life to the development of Indonesia from various positions in different capacities, and he was deeply involved in managing Indonesia's economic and political recovery after the 1997 Asian financial crisis which triggered political reform and regime change in Indonesia. As his last official position in the government, he served as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a role he had held from 2009 to 2014. Previously he chaired the House of Regional Representatives, or Indonesia's “Upper House”, which was newly established in 2004 and aimed at strengthening the legislative branch in the age of democracy. During Indonesia's crucial period of political transition (1999–2004), he navigated the tumultuous democratization process as Vice Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly, the country's highest decision-making body overseeing the amendments to the constitution that formed the legal foundation of its democratic institutions and political system. Over the years, Kartasasmita has had a distinguished career in the Indonesian government, as the Coordinating Minister for Economic, Financial, and Industrial Affairs (1998–1999); State Minister of National Development Planning/Chairman of the National Development Planning Agency, or BAPPENAS (1993–1998); Minister of Mines and Energy (1988–1993); and as Head of the Investment Coordinating Board, or BKPM (1985–1988). Also as an educator, Dr. Kartasasmita has been active both domestically and internationally, teaching development policies and sharing his experiences at universities such as the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) and Waseda University in Tokyo, and Brawijaya University in Indonesia. From 2000 to 2003, he resided at Harvard University, the first year as a Fellow and later as a Visiting Scholar at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Among his academic contributions are his recent book, Managing Indonesia's Transformation: An Oral History (World Scientific Publishing Co., Singapore, 2013), and Globalization and the Economic Crisis: The Indonesian Story (Working Paper No. 01–03, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, 2001).
Joseph J Stern was a Lecturer in Public Policy at John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (2000–2007). He has a deep knowledge of Indonesia due to his extensive experience in the country as both a scholar and an advisor to the government. As chief of a technical assistance project between the government of Indonesia and Harvard University, Stern served as Chief of Party, Projects Coordinator for the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) in 1990–1994 and 1996–1999. As an academic, Dr Stern has occupied various posts, including that of Adjunct Professor, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (2001–2003); Fellow, Harvard Institute for International Development (1968–2000); Executive Director, Harvard Institute for International Development (1984–1989); and Associate Director for Research, Development Advisory Service (1972–1974). He has published many books and articles over the course of his career, such as Industrial Development and the State: The Korean Heavy and Chemical Industry Drive (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1996). Stern's experience in assisting the Indonesian government was documented in “Indonesia-Harvard University: Lessons from a Long-Term Technical Assistance Project” in Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies (2000).
