During much of Soeharto’s thirty-two years of reign as president (1967-1998) Indonesia was seen as a successful test-case in third-world development, a wayward pariah turned into a shining example of modern economic planning and democracy. His New Order government won awards from the United Nations for the country’s advances in family planning. The nation’s massive development plans won the applause of the World Bank and international financiers. In fact, behind the New Order’s benign façade was an intricate web of nepotism, corruption and a persistent and wide-ranging repression of civil liberties, the full scope of which is now just beginning to become apparent.
Indonesia in the Soeharto years delves into many of the issues and incidents that shaped the nation, from the grim years of 1965 and 1966, up until the nation’s first direct election for the president in 2004. Photographs by many of the nation’s top photojournalists and essays by economists, government leaders, journalists, activist and scholars provide unique insights into the politics, culture and history of Indonesia under the New Order. With the more than fifty short essays, eighty photographic series and extended captions, and 500 historical photographs, this book is an essential document for anyone interested in the politics and culture of modern Indonesia.