Book Review: Resurgent Indonesia by Vasuki Shastry
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Bibliographic details
- Authors: VIKRAM NEHRU
- Published: June 1, 2018
- Volume: 55
Overview
- Reviewer: Vikram Nehru, distinguished practitioner-in-residence, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.
- Publication: F&D Magazine, June 2018.
- Book cited: Resurgent Indonesia: From Crisis to Confidence by Vasuki Shastry, Straits Times Press Books, Singapore, 2018, 248 pp., $35.
- Core claim: The book frames Indonesia’s post-1997–98 trajectory as a transformation from catastrophic crisis to a stable, democratic, and decentralized country with a vibrant economy.
Book structure and focus
- The narrative treats the 1997–98 collapse as three interacting crises: financial, agricultural, and political.
- First half: detailed account of the unfolding of the 1998 crisis, emphasizing intersecting interests of international and Indonesian technocrats, political/military/commercial elites, and ordinary workers, peasants, and students.
- Key episode: Over one week in May 1998, events culminated in riots, the killing of four students at Trisakti University, and President Suharto’s departure.
- Second half: chronicles the post-Suharto transition toward democracy, free press, greater emphasis on human rights and rule of law.
- Highlights the pivotal role of Habibie’s 18-month presidency: trimming presidential powers, enhancing the role of local governments, restoring basic freedoms, and allowing the East Timorese to vote for independence, while protecting key institutions and elites’ interests.
- Coverage of later presidencies:
- Sparse attention to Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), Megawati, and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY).
- Detailed, favorable account of Joko Widodo (Jokowi)’s meteoric rise.
- Critique notes omission of SBY’s 10-year administration (2004–14) limits explanation for inherited challenges.
Strengths and contributions
- Uses anecdotes, personal reflections, and interviews to illuminate causes and consequences of the crisis and drivers of resurgence.
- Effectively conveys how multiple interests and actors shaped events during 1997–98 and the immediate aftermath.
- Serves as a timely reminder of Indonesia’s recovery ahead of the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings in Bali (book release coincides with that gathering).
Shortcomings and criticisms
- Limited coverage:
- Scant attention to three post-Habibie presidents (Gus Dur, Megawati, SBY).
- Neglect of SBY’s 10-year administration (2004–14) omits context for issues Jokowi inherited: rampant corruption, a large infrastructure deficit, unsustainable fuel subsidies, and growing intolerance toward minorities.
- Tone and style:
- Discursive style described as choppy and turbulent, mirroring the events but detracting from clarity.
- Periodic digressions to challenges in other countries, especially India and China, are judged unhelpful.
- Analytical balance:
- While optimistic—describing Indonesia as “an archipelago of possibilities”—the book is said to glide over deep social, economic, spatial, and religious fault lines.
Conclusion
- Despite stylistic and coverage shortcomings, the reviewer considers Resurgent Indonesia a useful addition to the literature on Indonesia’s critical historical period and its recovery since 1997–98.
Reviewed by Vikram Nehru, F&D Magazine, June 2018.
Content in this bundle
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- Book Review: Resurgent Indonesia by Vasuki Shastry - Book Reviews - IMF F&D Magazine - June 2018
- Una historia indonesia ● El dinero se transforma ● Finanzas y Desarrollo ● Junio de 2018
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