The ASEAN Miracle by Kishore Mahbubani

The ASEAN Miracle by Kishore Mahbubani

Author:Kishore Mahbubani [Mahbubani, Kishore and Sng, Jeffery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789814722650
Publisher: NUS Press


Indonesia

One key word should always be used to describe Indonesia: resilient.

As the world’s largest archipelagic state, with islands stretching nearly one-eighth of the world’s circumference from east to west and more than 1,000 miles from north to south and with enormous ethnic, religious and linguistic diversity, Indonesia could have come apart (like Yugoslavia) at several points in its history. Instead, through several major crises, Indonesia has hung together and remained relatively peaceful, while steadily growing its economy.

Indonesia’s relative success is not easy to explain. It is a large and complex country. But one reason why it eventually succeeded may be that it had the right leader for each epoch of its history. Three in particular stand out: Sukarno, Suharto and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). Sukarno delivered unity, Suharto delivered prosperity, and SBY consolidated Indonesia’s democracy.

Sukarno ruled Indonesia from 1945 to 1967. He was a fiery nationalist leader who declared Indonesia’s independence, then led the violent struggle that eventually achieved it. His economic policies were disastrous (with the Indonesian economy growing at only 2 per cent per year during his term). However, he may have delivered something more important in the early years of Indonesia: a sense of nationhood.

This sense of belonging to one country was a remarkable achievement as the current configuration of Indonesia as a single unit did not exist until the Dutch, over a period of nearly 400 years, created a single colony. The great empires of Srivijaya (7th to 13th centuries CE) and Majapahit (13th and 14th centuries CE) could command obedience from ports and chiefs across much of Indonesia (and parts of contemporary Malaysia) but not all of it. The Bataks of Sumatra and the Papuans of West Papua could not be more different culturally.

Yet, Sukarno was able to take the enormously diverse cultural fabric of Indonesia and weave together a single nation. He was a brilliant orator. With his great speeches, he spun a dream of a common destiny. Years later, in the 1990s, when Indonesian national TV ran a series of programmes on the different ethnic groups of Indonesia, many Indonesians were surprised to discover the extent of their own ethnic diversity. Sukarno engendered national unity with the principles of Pancasila and by getting the Indonesians to adopt a common language, Bahasa Indonesia, based on Malay, and not Javanese, the first language of the largest single ethnic group in Indonesia.

General Suharto came to power on the back of a violent transition in 1965. Millions died. Under a military strongman, Indonesia could have suffered the same fate as Burma, Pakistan, Iraq and Syria. Instead, Suharto modernized his country by gradually opening up its economy and providing much needed political stability. During his reign, Indonesia’s economy grew from US$8.42 billion in 1967 to US$135.08 billion in 1998. More important, he eradicated poverty and significantly improved living standards. This is why the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization conferred a gold medal on Suharto in November 1985 for Indonesia’s achieving self-sufficiency in growing rice.

After Suharto stood down during



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