A new book examines how the incongruities of Indonesia’s seventh president reflect those of his nation as a whole. And both shared a keen focus on economic development. The country exceeded 500,000 cases right as international researchers were moving closer to an effective vaccine. In many ways, it’s not surprising given that the descendants of five of Indonesia’s other six presidents are active in politics today. I am lucky enough to have met Jokowi first when he was mayor of Solo and have spoken with or interviewed him a dozen times since then. Ia kini telah menyalurkan pengalaman langsungnya ke dalam buku baru, “ Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia ”, studi pertama tentang Presiden Jokowi yang diterbitkan dalam … The book is quite brilliant in capturing the limits of a man’s ability to challenge and reform from within an entrenched political system. Both men were often under-estimated as they rose to the top without showing much overt ambition. PERDANANEWS — Peneliti Australia Ben Bland menyebut Jokowi telah kembali pada otoriterisme di Indonesia, sangat merusak. You write in detail about Western observers’ high expectations of Jokowi at the time of his election in 2014, comparing it to his disappointing record of governance. The new book Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia, by Ben Bland of the Lowy Institute, is the first book-length English biography of Jokowi. The president rules through personalities, not processes. A landmark new book. Ben Bland, Direktur Program Asia Tenggara di lembaga Lowy Institute menjelaskan hal tersebut kepada ABC Indonesia soal buku terbarunya berjudul 'Man of Contradictions - Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia'. Ben Bland’s recent book, Man of Contradictions, is touted as the “first English political biography” of Jokowi. His approach to China is no different. Southeast A brilliant instinctive politician, Jokowi was resoundingly re-elected in 2019. It’s a bit of both. “Tidak ada analisis yang tepat tentang proyek infrastruktur mana yang akan paling meningkatkan pertumbuhan dan produktivitas”, tulis Bland. It was his personal touch as a leader that caught people’s attention. But the charismatic Indonesian leader has no time for great-power politics, writes Ben Bland in a new book. Jokowi has been called a reformer, a liberal, a new hope for democracy, a moderate, a pragmatist, a technocrat, a populist, a nationalist, a developmentalist and, recently, an authoritarian. None of them quite hits the spot on their own but there is a bit of truth in most of them, which is why I called my book “Man of Contradictions.”. While Jokowi’s foreign policy is guided by his own economic lodestar, he is still navigating within the boundaries of Indonesia’s long-held “independent and active” stance in international relations. As the … “The great value of Bland’s book is the way he colourfully and insightfully explains Jokowi’s chameleon political character.” – Greg Earl, Asia Society Australia “Ben Bland’s penetrating biography of Indonesia’s Jokowi not only clarifies his subject’s contradictions, it does so in sparkling prose.” Defense, China Una Galani, Reuters. Power, Crossroads Asia, South In his state of the union address this month, he likened the pandemic-hit economy to a computer that had crashed and needed a “reboot.” If only it were that simple. In foreign policy he is not interested in abstract geopolitics. A new book examines how the incongruities of Indonesia's seventh president reflect those of his nation as a whole. The comparison with Aung San Suu Kyi is interesting. The most powerful officials (for now anyway) are Luhut Pandjaitan, an ex-general and Jokowi’s former business partner, and Erick Thohir, a tycoon who used to own the Inter Milan football club. What sparked your interest in writing a book about Jokowi? He was able to electrify Indonesian politics without ever saying much. During this time, he conducted what I consider to be the best and most insightful interview ever done with Prabowo Subianto, Jokowi’s challenger in both the 2014 and 2019 elections. Outsiders often have a habit of projecting their ideological hopes and assumptions onto the leaders of foreign nations – take the situation with Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar, for example. Rumors of the J-15's unreliability have been greatly exaggerated. Presiden Jokowi dikritik habis dalam buku biografi karya peneliti Lowy Institute, Benjamin “Ben” Bland. Ben Bland’s Man of Contradiction: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia (Penguin, 2021) is the first political biography of Indonesia’s president in the English language. Asia, Southeast India's current level of suffering was not inevitable. Jakarta is at breaking point, the sinking city floods every year and if you halved the traffic on the roads tomorrow the place would still be one big jam. Ben Bland is Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute. Others think this is precisely the sort of situation in which Indonesia needs to avoid taking unnecessary risks. Dalam 6 bab buku setebal 180 halaman ini, Ben memaparkan bagaimana "seorang pembuat mebel" berhasil menangkap imajinasi bangsa Indonesia tentang sosok pemimpin yang … The unanswered question is: once Jokowi, as he is known, came under more scrutiny, did the less attractive aspects of his leadership style become evident—or was he changed by power? Ben Bland. Bland portrays Jokowi as a natural politician, one who can get things done through personal leadership—but with a population of 270 million Indonesia may need a more coherent strategy to complete his dream of it becoming a developed nation by 2045. Jokowi’s overt contradictions seem to fit with political scientist Benedict Anderson’s description of how power is demonstrated in traditional Javanese culture. Ben Bland, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute, and former journalist at Financial Times, joins Kopi Time to discuss Indonesia, world’s third largest democracy. According to Bland, Jokowi not only embodied Indonesia’s democratic hopes and then dashed them; he also combines all sorts of contradictory characteristics and features. But he has been a poor guardian of democratic governance. Jokowi has benefited from post-Suharto democratization more than any other Indonesian. Ben Bland, director of the Southeast Asia project at the Lowy Institute, talks about Indonesian President Joko Widodo's policies. In a country better known for decades of authoritarian rule, Jokowi’s story has captured the imagination of observers of Indonesia hopeful for the country’s full transit… Press Esc to cancel. It’s important to highlight that while democracy is under pressure, Indonesia remains the most democratic nation in Southeast Asia in many respects. He argued that “the most obvious sign of the man of Power is, quite consistently, his ability… to absorb Power from the outside, and to concentrate within himself apparently antagonistic opposites”. Bland, wisely, doesn’t make a final judgement on the man who will be in power until 2024. Jokowi changed this with his rags to riches story, but those hoping for his presidency to be a bastion of democracy, free trade and a counterbalance to China in the region have been disappointed. This helps Indonesia avoid external problems and also helps keep a lid on domestic tensions, which have flared in the past because of foreign entanglements. But do you think this has been borne out by Jokowi’s time in office? Bland claims the man many hoped would revitalize Indonesian democracy has a distinct authoritarian bent, this has been shown by, amongst other things, his increasing closeness with the military. His governing style has been shaped by his experience as a furniture manufacturer and a city mayor. But that style of leadership is much harder when you’re president of a nation of 270 million people than when you’re running a city. He prefers seeing things with his own eyes to listening to detailed explanations from experts. After defeating him again in 2019, Jokowi gave Prabowo the position of minister of defence, an action which for some showed Jokowi’s transformation from populist hero to a member of the crony political class. After his success in Solo, established political players brought Jokowi to Jakarta to run for governor in 2012. Some Indonesian foreign policy makers worry that this approach is too cautious for our dynamic world, and Jakarta risks being left on the sidelines as Asia’s power map is re-drawn. His acquiesce to radical Islamic groups was another example of this change. Of course, he must balance this desire for commercial engagement with Beijing against the pressure China puts on Indonesian sovereignty in the Natuna Sea, and against deep-seated hostility to the ethnic Chinese community in Indonesia. The president understands that China is an important source of current and future trade and investment for Indonesia, as well as a possible provider of a COVID-19 vaccine, which Beijing is currently putting through clinical trials in Indonesia. Indonesia and China have disputes in the South China Sea, but he is not going to really stand up to China as long as they keep investing. His government has shown growing distrust towards civil society. Sukarno was a florid rhetorician who relished his role as a global statesman and reveled in disorder at home, believing that only he could unite the disparate peoples and forces that made up the world’s biggest archipelagic nation. You emphasize the extent to which Jokowi is a unique figure in Indonesian presidential history – the first to hail neither from the military, nor an established political family. Yet analysts and journalists are always looking for simple labels. Jokowi’s story, personality and record as president are the subject of a new book by Ben Bland, the Financial Times correspondent in Indonesia when the … Man of Contradictions, while asking more questions than it answers, is a good introduction to the current political situation in Indonesia and how its progress is hamstrung by its past. Bland warns expectations of Joko are too high with many in Canberra "hoping that Jokowi will open up the Indonesian economy to Australian investment and … Menurutnya, dalam konteks pemindahan ibu kota, Jokowi bersifat aneh dan gaya kepemimpinannya yang tidak terorganisir. In pushing a package of neoliberal reforms in the midst of a global pandemic, the Jokowi administration is courting political upheaval. If you were to rely on the Indonesian government organization chart, you wouldn’t have a very good read on where true power lies. He seems driven by day-to-day tactics rather than long-term strategy. Jokowi grew up in a riverside shack in Solo, a city in Central Java: an extraordinary place to begin a journey to becoming president. As you note, Jokowi has generally shown little interest in world affairs, at a time when Indonesia is grappling with one of its most serious foreign policy challenges in decades: the rise of a resurgent and increasingly assertive China. At the same time, many outsiders tend to project their own hopes and fears onto leaders of emerging nations, rather than trying to understand the complex challenges that these leaders face. Jokowi, as the president is known, is a fascinating personality – a man who leapt from being a furniture maker to city mayor (of Solo and Jakarta) and then on to lead Indonesia. Asia, Asia His first book, Generation HK: Seeking Identity in China’s Shadow, was acclaimed for its prescient insights into the deepening political crisis in Hong Kong. Ben was previously an award-winning correspondent for the Financial Times in Indonesia, China and Vietnam. How would you characterize Jokowi’s stance toward China? In Indonesia, how much of this was a case of Jokowi overpromising, and how much was external projection? Dari penanganan virus corona hingga rencana pindah ibu kota. Other “semi-biographies”, such as “Jokoway” by Joko Sulistyo, are questionable at best, as they are written by active government staff. Jokowi’s vision is that the world’s fourth most populous nation will be a developed country and the fourth largest economy by 2045. An interview with Gary Bauer, commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. There are two biographies of Jokowi in Indonesian, written by Alberthiene Endah. In the capital he continued his “blusukan” (Javanese for impromptu visit) style of leadership, turning up all over the city to listen to people’s problems and trying to solve them. It is like a kingly court. Bland, now the director of the Southeast Asia Program at Sydney’s Lowy Institute, speaks with The Diplomat’s Southeast Asia Editor Sebastian Strangio about the contradictions of Indonesia’s seventh president – and those of the complex, sprawling archipelago over which he governs. Political Islam, embraced by Prabowo when it suits him, is a powerful force in Indonesia, and there has long been prejudice against the local Chinese minority. He certainly was an outsider in terms of his backstory. But I don’t think Jokowi is deliberately trying to undermine democracy. But as a mayor of Solo, and then governor of Jakarta, he was always someone who worked with existing power structures and elites rather than seeking to overturn them. Ben Bland paints an insightful and intriguing portrait of Indonesia's leader in his new book, Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the struggle to remake Indonesia. Asia, Central Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. However, the new capital, nicknamed “Jokopolis” in far away Kalimantan, has not been thoroughly planned out and is likely to go way over budget. Ben Bland is Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute. Indonesia's Jokowi turns politics into a family business. It’s more that he is focused on the economy, and he sees democracy as a tool to improve people’s lives rather than an end in itself. One-time furniture maker who fought his way to the top was meant to be different . I’ve met so many politicians in Indonesia, and the rest of the world, who are desperate to climb the greasy pole but don’t have that touch – and all the consultants in the world can’t buy it or fake it. Police said that they were investigating the explosion as an act of terrorism targeting the former president. He capitalized on Indonesia’s remarkably well-run, free and fair elections to go from provincial factory owner to president in just nine years. It shows his thick-skin, simplistic, stubborn yet action-driven and persevered personality. View, About In 2014, he won the presidency after being nominated by Megawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of Indonesia’s first president Sukarno, and former president herself. Enjoying this article? He likes to keep his ministers on their toes and their influence tends to wax and wane as he plays them off against each other and seeks balance in his diverse and fractious political coalition. Military commanders have said that additional forces will flow in temporarily to help with security and logistics for the drawdown. Did she really change from a shining light of democracy to an incompetent defender of genocide? They call it the presidential palace for a reason. Jokowi is quite skilled at allowing people to see what they want in him. Once ensconced in the presidential palace, these elite links have inevitably deepened. Indonesian politics, as in many if not most other places, have traditionally been controlled by a tight group of elites. In the first chapter of Man of Contradictions, you describe the astonishing rapidity of Jokowi’s rise, from the furniture business in a second-tier Javanese city to the presidency of Southeast Asia’s most populous nation. His opponent was Prabowo Subianto, a former general accused of human rights abuses during the fall of Suharto. In 2014, Joko Widodo was elected president of Indonesia following a campaign that had echoes of U.S. President Barack Obama’s run for the White House six years earlier. Asia, Pacific Bland was the Financial Times correspondent in Jakarta between 2012 and 2015, witnessing Jokowi’s rise first-hand. Ma’ruf Amin, Jokowi’s second term vice president, has been all but invisible. Tulisan Ben Bland Man of Contradictions dari Lowy Institute mencoba mengungkap bagaimana kepribadian Jokowi yang ramah telah memberi jalan kepada pemimpin transaksional yang lebih penuh perhitungan, dengan menyatukan debat akademis kontemporer dan wawasan penulis sendiri terhadap Jokowi. Click here to subscribe for full access. A simpler solution would be to create a new administrative capital not far from Jakarta. When I first watched Jokowi on the campaign trail during the Jakarta gubernatorial campaign in 2012, I could see that he had a rare, instinctive talent for retail politics. But since taking office, Jokowi (as he is widely known) has fallen short of the promises and expectations that accompanied his rapid rise to power. The increased reliance on undersea warfare means submarines need to run silent, deep, and safe in the Pacific. Jokowi was a successful furniture maker in Solo before being elected mayor in 2005. After the last American soldier departs Afghanistan in September, India and Pakistan will be left with some very difficult, unsavory, choices. Pada bab kesimpulan buku Man of Contradictions, peneliti Ben Bland dari Lowy Institute menyatakan: ”Yang kita tahu pasti, setelah enam tahun berada di istana presiden, dia (Jokowi) telah kembali ke akar otoriter Indonesia, mengikis kebebasan berbicara dan hak … Voices from the ground tell stories of mismanagement, neglect, and apathy. True, Jokowi finally got a metro system working in Jakarta, but his idea to construct a new capital in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) is true to his “haphazard” style. Or did many outsiders never understand her in the first place? This book tells about how Jokowi came to power and how he maintains his political legitimacy once he achieved it. Jokowi’s vision is that the world’s fourth most populous nation will be a developed country and the fourth largest economy by 2045. Bland, wisely, doesn’t make a final judgement on the man who will be in power until 2024. 26 reviews From a riverside shack to the presidential palace, Joko Widodo surged to the top of Indonesian politics on a wave of hope for change. But since taking office, Jokowi (as he is widely known) has fallen short of the promises and expectations that accompanied his rapid rise to power. In fact, you liken it to someone going in just nine years “from second-hand car dealer in Pittsburgh to president of the United States.” How do you account for Jokowi’s meteoric rise? Like many Asian countries, Seoul is having troubling sourcing vaccines. So he wants to avoid problems with China and steer clear of great power politics whenever he can. One way of approaching this problem is suggested by the title of Ben Bland’s short and highly readable biography of Indonesia’s president: Man of Contradictions. Kyrgyzstan’s president continues to sharpen the country’s legal code as a tool to limit dissent. I think this is more a case of power revealing what a leader is really like, as the great U.S. biographer Robert Caro put it. Alliances with any foreign powers warfare means submarines need to run for governor in.... The J-15 's unreliability have been greatly exaggerated titles: coordinating minister for enterprises... 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