One of the best ways to plan for a better nation's future is to look back at the historical sequences that have occurred in the past. And when talking about Indonesia's progress, the occurrence of the economic and political crisis in 1998 was the right reflection point to plan for a better Indonesia. This is the basis for the preparation of a book entitled "Reinventing Indonesia” by one of the important historical actors at that time, namely Prof. Dr. Ginandjar Kartasasmita. And yesterday (20/10), the former Coordinating Minister for the Economy in the 1990s was present at the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya (FIA UB) in the event Book Review and National Discussion”Reinventing Indonesia: Lessons Learned from the 1998 Crisis for Better Indonesia in the Future”.
In his whiting betel, Prof. Ginandjar said that the 1998 crisis occurred in the midst of Indonesia's strong economic condition in the 1996-1997 range. At that time, the nickname "Asian Tiger" still stuck in Indonesia because of its economic might. However, a year later, the situation suddenly changed due to many factors. As a result, at that time, according to Prof. Ginandjar, the Indonesian economy is becoming overheating with the inflation rate falling to -13% and the Rupiah exchange rate against the US Dollar falling from IDR 2,000.00 to IDR 16,000.00 per dollar. President Soeharto, who was in power at that time, had to be willing to step down from his throne to be replaced by Prof. Dr. BJ Habibie, who at that time served as Vice President.
Under the control of President Habibie, Prof. Ginandjar as Coordinating Minister for the Economy implemented several strategic steps to control the country. Among them by restoring economic stability, reducing inflation, lowering interest rates, and creating a Social Safety Net (JPS). "The term JPS was us at that time who introduced it for the first time, then other terms began to appear in the next administration," explained Prof. Ginandjar.
In addition, according to the book reviewer Dr. Ir. Muhammad Fadel, Prof. Ginandjar also seeks to strengthen domestic competitiveness by rejecting many projects that will be carried out by foreign parties. He said that at that time he often saw Prof. Ginandjar refused various projects that would be carried out by foreigners because he considered that native people were still capable. "In the past, we saw for ourselves that he ordered a shipment of hydrants made in China to be sent home because we judged that the Indonesians themselves could still make them," said the man who now serves as Chair of Commission XI of the DPR RI.
Apart from these two people, the other book reviewers were Prof. Dr. Bambang Supriyono, MS (Dean of FIA UB), Prof. Dr. Munawar Ismail, DEA (Professor of the UB Faculty of Economics and Business), and Dr. Rachmad Syafa'at, M.Si (Dean of UB Faculty of Law). The event, which took place in the Hall of Building A, 4th Floor of FIA UB, was attended by various groups, from lecturers to undergraduate to doctoral students. Also present were PMI representatives in Malang Raya and Commander Abdulrahman Saleh Malang Lanud.
Coverage Team:
Contributor: Pitriyani
Article: Aulia Luqman Aziz
