Economic Dimensions of Covid-19 in Indonesia: Responding to the Crisis

It is the multiple dualities in Soeharto’s make-up that in fact make him such an intriguing subject for a biographer, and the subject of continuing fascination both in Indonesia and abroad. There were those extraordinary combinations of, on the one hand, far-sighted statesmanship and, on the other, what it is hard to describe other than as thuggery. Of bland, smiling modesty—and absolute ruthlessness. Of willingness to nurture, encourage and support real competence in his ministers— but also to tolerate and personally benefit from high levels of outright corruption. Of willingness and capacity to successfully advance the national interest, especially in economic development—while at the same time hindering the development of genuinely responsive national political institutions. It is hard to imagine, on the evidence of this first volume, that anyone could ever do a better job of capturing the complexity of the man and his times than David Jenkins. And in the physical quality of this 500-page publication, his Singapore publishers, ISEAS, have done both author and subject proud.