Jokowi And The New Indonesia

In 2014, Joko Widodo--popularly known as Jokowi--was elected the seventh president of the Republic of Indonesia, going on to win a second five-year term in 2019. Raised amid poverty in a riverside slum and with a background in the furniture export trade, Jokowi broke the mold for political leaders in the world's third-largest democracy. His meteoric rise came without the benefit of personal connections to the traditional elites who have dominated Indonesian politics for three-quarters of a century, making this a true rags to riches story. This new official biography tells the story of how the boy from the riverbank made it to the presidential palace in record time. Readers will learn how his personal background and heritage have created a distinctive style of politics and informed his ambitious development goals--including massive infrastructure projects, universal healthcare and a reimagining of Indonesia's educational system. It also looks at how a man raised with a traditionally Javanese worldview negotiates the tensions, contradictions and conflicts of this vast archipelagic nation. Written by a political insider with unparalleled access to the president and an intimate first-hand knowledge of his decision-making processes, this book is essential reading for anyone looking to understand the political present--and the future--of Southeast Asia's largest nation.

From a riverside shack to the presidential palace, Joko Widodo surged to the top of Indonesian politics on a wave of hope for change. However, six years into his presidency, the former furniture maker is struggling to deliver the reforms that Indonesia desperately needs. Despite promising to build Indonesia into an Asian powerhouse, Jokowi, as he is known, has faltered in the face of crises, from COVID-19 to an Islamist mass movement. Man of Contradictions, the first English-language biography of Jokowi, argues that the president embodies the fundamental contradictions of modern Indonesia. He is caught between democracy and authoritarianism, openness and protectionism, Islam and pluralism. Jokowi’s incredible story shows what is possible in Indonesia – and it also shows the limits.

In 2014, Joko Widodo--popularly known as Jokowi--was elected the seventh president of the Republic of Indonesia, going on to win a second five-year term in 2019. Raised amid poverty in a riverside slum and with a background in the furniture export trade, Jokowi broke the mold for political leaders in the world's third-largest democracy. His meteoric rise came without the benefit of personal connections to the traditional elites who have dominated Indonesian politics for three-quarters of a century, making this a true "rags to riches" story. This new official biography tells the story of how the boy from the riverbank made it to the presidential palace in record time. Readers will learn how his personal background and heritage have created a distinctive style of politics and informed his ambitious development goals--including massive infrastructure projects, universal healthcare and a reimagining of Indonesia's educational system. It also looks at how a man raised with a traditionally Javanese worldview negotiates the tensions, contradictions and conflicts of this vast archipelagic nation. Written by a political insider with unparalleled access to the president and an intimate first-hand knowledge of his decision-making processes, this book is essential reading for anyone looking to understand the political present--and the future--of Southeast Asia's largest nation.

By any indicator, Indonesia, the fourth most populous nation on earth, is a development success story. Yet 20 years after a deep economic and political crisis, it is still in some respects an economy in transition. The country recovered from the 1997–98 crisis and navigated the path from authoritarian to democratic rule surprisingly quickly and smoothly. It survived the 2008–09 global financial crisis and the end of the China-driven commodity super boom in 2014 with little difficulty. It is now embarking on its fifth round of credible national elections in the democratic era. It is in the process of graduating to the upper middle-income ranks. But, as the 25 contributors to this comprehensive and compelling volume document, Indonesia also faces many daunting challenges — how to achieve faster economic growth along with more attention to environment sustainability, how to achieve more equitable development outcomes, how to develop and nurture stronger institutional foundations, and much else. “This is a timely and much-needed book. There are very few recent books on Indonesia with such a comprehensive analysis of not just mainstream economic policies, but also most importantly the key issues of human capital, inequality, social welfare, labour, food security and natural resource management. This book will not only be crucial for policy discourse but for all stakeholders who care about Indonesia making the transition not only to a high-income economy, but an inclusive one.” — Mari Pangestu, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia “The Indonesian Economy in Transition: Policy Challenges in the Jokowi Era and Beyond is one of the most important books that discusses the Indonesian economy post–Asian Financial Crisis. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand contemporary Indonesian economy.” — M. Chatib Basri, former Minister of Finance of Indonesia

When Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo was sworn in as the seventh President of the Republic of Indonesia, taking over from Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the change in personnel at the highest executive office of state naturally raised questions about the likely changes in government policies between that of the outgoing Yudhoyono Government and that of the incoming Widodo Government. This was especially so in the area of foreign policy given that Yudhoyono was widely lauded for his efforts and achievements on the international stage; and the general perception that Widodo lacks sufficient foreign policy experience and knowledge. Will Indonesia's foreign policy change with the new Government? If so, how will Indonesia's foreign policy change and why? If not, how not and why won't Indonesia's foreign policy change?Jokowi's Indonesia and the World addresses these questions by evaluating the annual performance of the Widodo Government from 2014 to 2019, focusing primarily on the President's foreign policy track record, and tracing Indonesia's successes and failures on the world stage. At the same time, the book also assesses how the domestic situation has affected Jakarta's external projections.If the Yudhoyono years are remembered for an assertive and active Indonesia in the field of foreign policy, it was greatly hoped that the same could be said about the Widodo presidency at the end of his first term. Whether this ultimately transpired or not shall be covered in the book.

Contains 12 videos, 22 slideshows, 39 stand-alone photographs, 2 audio recordings, 11 archival documents, 12 maps, 13 illustrations, 37 hand-drawn icons. Indonesia is one of the most compelling countries on earth; it offers unexpected adventures that range from taking tea with a corpse or a sultan to negotiating crowds of thugs dressed as Islamists protesting against pop star Lady Gaga. Indonesia Etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation has been celebrated by The New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, and many other publications as a lively and deeply insightful account of the country’s complexities, but many readers have yearned for illustrations; Indonesia is also visually compelling. This enhanced edition is the answer: it includes videos, slide shows, and archival material collected by the author during her 22,000-kilometer trek around the country in 2012 as well as old letters from generals and rebels harvested from the archives she has kept in her twenty-five-year association with the country. The videos, edited and voiced by Elizabeth Pisani herself, provide an extra insight into the things she found most striking or curious. You don’t need to be online to access any of the content, and the analog-look design ensures that the multimedia materials never get in the way of a good, old-fashioned read. This is a very large file (200 MB), and it works best on an iPad.

RSIS Commentary: The Series — Jokowi's Second Term: Emerging Issues is an edited book which focuses on the 2019 presidential election in Indonesia, the latest phase of political change in the post-Reformasi era in Southeast Asia's largest country, and one of Asia's most strategic players in international diplomacy. The 2019 Pilpres, as it is known for short, saw the re-election of Joko Widodo, a much unexpected and under-rated furniture businessman from the small town of Solo in Central Java who proved himself to be a shrewd politician and survivor, despite not coming from the traditional sources of leadership — the military and the political elite. As he began his second term, the emerging issues that he had to deal with ranged from the traditional, such as the role of religion, to the strategic, such as the debate over the vision of the new cabinet. There are indications that the closing chapter of his presidency in the next few years could be more challenging. Better known as Jokowi, his re-election in 2019 therefore deserved a closer look for a better understanding of its significance and its key dimensions. His re-election will act as a backdrop of what may come in the remaining years of his presidency. To this end, this book is divided into two parts: before and after the presidential election.