A Nation in Waiting: Indonesia in the 1990s [Paperback]

Adam Schwarz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1994

Spanning a wide variety of contemporary issues, this text offers a detailed glimpse of one of the world's largest and least understood nations. It chronicles the economic development Indonesia has enjoyed under the 27-year leadership of President Soeharto, as well as the difficult challenges which lie ahead. Using first-hand information, the author gives life to the heated debates on economic policy, corruption and the controversial role of ethnic-Chinese entrepreneurs. The book analyzes the political demands of Indonesia's Muslim community, the mishandled incorporation of East Timor, the emerging debate on human rights, and the thorny problem of arranging a smooth transition of power. The underlying theme is the widening gap between an increasingly modernized economy and a rigid political system that is struggling to keep up with the times.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"When I arrived in Indonesia in 1987," writes journalist Adam Schwarz, "the last thing on my mind was to write a book about the place." A correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review for five years, Schwarz found himself seduced by Indonesia's beauty while acutely aware of its behind-the-scenes political and economic intensity.

Indonesia, with its thousands of islands, hundreds of languages and cultural groups, and a population of over 180 million remains a stranger to the international community. Even in Asia, the country is little understood. Why? Indonesia didn't achieve its independence from centuries of colonial rule until after World War II. And General Soeharto, who governed since 1966 (and still did at the time of this book's writing), was a conservative leader, fiercely anticommunist and inward-looking, whose politics were "... repressive, highly stylized and formulaic." This is a book mainly about Soeharto and his style of leadership. Convinced that party politics led inevitably to national instability, he focused instead on economic development. Schwarz examines this in the full light of Soeharto's nepotism, his children's abuse of privilege, and the drain on the Indonesian economy at the hands of crony businessmen.

Only 30 years ago, Indonesia was an impoverished, agrarian nation. Schwarz explores the impact of economic development on the culture itself; the transition, for example, of a population from rural to urban; the exposure, thus, of a broader population to outside information and ideas. Progress would continue to hit the wall of Soeharto's rigid political system.

With an insider's knowledge, Schwarz articulates the major challenges to an Indonesia still under Soeharto's rule--economic reform; creating a consensus of economic policy; racial tensions; corruption and nepotism; and the East Timor problem, among others. His introductory words hang somewhere between prescience and hindsight when he writes: "There are many roads Indonesia could take through the 1990s. Some would lead to a smooth transition of power, others would not. Soeharto may choose to recognize the pressures for a change in governance ... or he may continue to avert his eyes."

Written and published before the Asian economic crisis and the fall of the Soeharto government in May of 1998, A Nation in Waiting will be read more as an explanation of how things came to be instead of for its current political and economic assessment. Prophetic statements--"The nation's political edifice, which by the early 1990s had become precariously dependent on one man, is beginning to show its age. More and more educated Indonesians see Soeharto's brand of leadership ... as now outdated, excessively paternalistic and a hindrance to national development"--now function ironically as a backward glance shedding light on the bloodless May revolution. --Hollis Giammatteo --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Adam Schwarz is editor-in-chief of AsiaWise.com, an online finance investment publication based in Hong Kong.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1863736352
• ISBN-13: 978-1863736350
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,204,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very accurate predictions about Indonesia....., April 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Nation In Waiting: Indonesia In The 1990s (Paperback)

This book was written before Suharto was forced to step down as president in 1998. It predicted that an economic crisis would create an even greater income gap and dissatisfaction among the poorer native indonesians and the minority and richer Indonesians (the Chinese Indos)....and unfortunately , its predictions came true. Suharto was forced to step down and many Indo Chinese were slained for no sane reasons. I read this book during my summer holidays in 1997 out of interest in knowing the financial, social and political structures of my neighboring countries better......if u want to understand indonesia better, this is the book to read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible insight into a nebulous nation, June 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Nation In Waiting: Indonesia In The 1990s (Paperback)

I started reading A Nation in Waiting while in Jakarta about the week before the Trisakti students were shot by special forces units. As a read the book then the newspapers, it became difficult to tell the difference. The similarities to the Suharto coup in '64 to what Prabowo was trying were incredible. If only more people read this incredible book before last year's bloody catharsis, I'm confident the event would not of been as violent, unpredicted and uncontrolled as it was. The personal insights into Habibi's relationship with Suharto (back to when Habibi was 14), bode well into understanding Habibi's government now and to come. Essential reading on Indonesia

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Understanding of Indonesian Politics, March 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Nation In Waiting: Indonesia In The 1990s (Paperback)

An excellent explanation of Indonesian politics. I lived in Indonesia for 4 years. Indonesian politics are like the shadow puppets--the real actors are behind the curtain. This book explains the relationship of the various factions which Suharto has managed to hold together and the major issues Indonesia must face. A good resource for anyone trying to understand the current crisis.