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Routledge Contemporary Southeast Asia Series
Technological State in Indonesia: The Co-Constitution of High Technology and Authoritarian Politics
Using a historical sociology approach, this book illustrates the formation of the technological state in Indonesia during the New Order period (1966-1998). It explores the nexus between power, high technology, development, and authoritarianism situated in the Southeast Asian context. The book discusses how the New Order regime shifted from the developmental state to the technological state, which was characterized by desire for technological supremacy. The process resulted in the establishment of a host of technological institutions and the undertaking of large-scale high-tech programs. Shedding light on the political dimension of socio-technological transformation, this book looks at the relationship between authoritarian politics and high technology development, and examines how effectively technology serves to sustain legitimacy of an authoritarian power. It explores into multiple features of the Indonesian technological state, covering the ideology of development, the politics of technocracy, the institutional structure, and the material and symbolic embodiments of high technology, and goes on to discuss the impact of globalization on the technological state. The book is an important contribution to studies on Southeast Asian Politics, Development, and Science, Technology, and Society (STS).
209 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 3, 2020
Thanks to the author for giving away this book for free on twitter!
This book talks about the interweaving aspects of politics and technology in New Order Indonesia. As a young Indonesian who didn't live through most of the period, I am surprised at how much power Habibie actually had. Knowing that, it is not a surprise that IPTN could have such grand achievement then.
As a next generation engineer at IPTN (now PTDI), this book makes me understand the complex history of the company. The aircraft that we design is not only for profit like Boeing or Airbus, but also for politics. Even now, our projects timelines are deeply connected to political events (election year, etc).
Moving forward, I think there are an opportunity for PTDI. Since 5 years ago we are slowly gaining momentum. A lot of young engineers are recruited. The governments also started to support us in developing new products. It will be hard to gain the same success as was achieved in Habibie era, but slowly by slowly, we are reborn.
This book talks about the interweaving aspects of politics and technology in New Order Indonesia. As a young Indonesian who didn't live through most of the period, I am surprised at how much power Habibie actually had. Knowing that, it is not a surprise that IPTN could have such grand achievement then.
As a next generation engineer at IPTN (now PTDI), this book makes me understand the complex history of the company. The aircraft that we design is not only for profit like Boeing or Airbus, but also for politics. Even now, our projects timelines are deeply connected to political events (election year, etc).
Moving forward, I think there are an opportunity for PTDI. Since 5 years ago we are slowly gaining momentum. A lot of young engineers are recruited. The governments also started to support us in developing new products. It will be hard to gain the same success as was achieved in Habibie era, but slowly by slowly, we are reborn.
April 2, 2023
Wouldn’t grant any privileges of a thought-out constructed paragraph for a website owned by am*zon so here are few quick notes i gather from this book :
- It wasn’t necessarily fulfill my earlier expectations (which the fault mostly lie on my part) that expects the book to discuss, in more general sense, about the implication of STS (or STEM in English terms) propagandation in lieu with the authoritarian politics that suppress any kind of social studies and it’s further application - and while it’s inadvertently being discussed at parts, mostly it’s done at a glance to get into it’s main course
- But however, the content mainly discussed within the book itself is still very compelling than i thought - which mainly discussing about the implication about STS relation itself with the authoritarian New Order state and how it impose technological means as a way to distinguish themselves from your usual military regime (although undoubtedly the usage of it as a amend and suppression of dissidents remains real, but some distinguishment remains major).
- One of my favorite arguments from here is the implication of epistemological representation that’s imbedded within the regime throughout it’s conception and the attempt to disagree with monolithic thought regime and insight regarding opposing posits throughout the regime (though it didn’t deny the authoritarian implication and the docile attempts at it), especially when it regards many distinctiveness on how to approach attempt to run a state run in regards of socio-cultural, bureaucratization, globalization, and the legitimization of the state itself.
- Argumentations regarding how the important those figures within the presence of New Order state reaching their fitted conclusions of how to obtain the “accelerated transformation” (coined by Habibie as one of the pivotal figure in here) throughout technological state implementation isn’t only implicated by isolated manner, but also through many present factors, both internal and external, which applying interesting paradigms how Indonesia’s technocratic aspiration come across fruitful, and it’s downfall which we’ll realised in hindsight, revealing a looming spectre of globalization and neoliberalism which remains related on how New Order and it's subsequent shape came in realization.
- The book itself mainly spend it’s time to dissect those process and development through more accurately academic approach of linearity and it’s attention to detailed approach and influence throughout the bureaucratic and development which unravels many positive and (mostly) negative aspects instead of imposing more literary writing, which ends up kind of dry in that kind of writing pursuit.
- The usage of abbreviation at everything we did is outrageously annoying, and it kind of realizing me that we're still doing it now at every faucet of organizations haha.
- Overall, it brought a peculiar and under-discussed insight of how New Order operates through establishing itself, both as a developing third world country which sought themselves as an “powerhouse” within their west-block allies and to mythologize itself through “advancement” as a means of how a modern state vindicates itself throughout homogenous attempt of globalization and the values it posits (and the way it goes, seems like we’re going to be more involved than before) - and regardless of the dominion of turmoil that happened in present Indonesia (also the whole world), we’re being thought of how to learn from rising attempt of “technological foundation” that we attempt in the authoritarian past, and the failure it persist in effect.
- Hopefully this book will be translated in Indonesian sooner, would like to discuss it with my STEM friends
- It wasn’t necessarily fulfill my earlier expectations (which the fault mostly lie on my part) that expects the book to discuss, in more general sense, about the implication of STS (or STEM in English terms) propagandation in lieu with the authoritarian politics that suppress any kind of social studies and it’s further application - and while it’s inadvertently being discussed at parts, mostly it’s done at a glance to get into it’s main course
- But however, the content mainly discussed within the book itself is still very compelling than i thought - which mainly discussing about the implication about STS relation itself with the authoritarian New Order state and how it impose technological means as a way to distinguish themselves from your usual military regime (although undoubtedly the usage of it as a amend and suppression of dissidents remains real, but some distinguishment remains major).
- One of my favorite arguments from here is the implication of epistemological representation that’s imbedded within the regime throughout it’s conception and the attempt to disagree with monolithic thought regime and insight regarding opposing posits throughout the regime (though it didn’t deny the authoritarian implication and the docile attempts at it), especially when it regards many distinctiveness on how to approach attempt to run a state run in regards of socio-cultural, bureaucratization, globalization, and the legitimization of the state itself.
- Argumentations regarding how the important those figures within the presence of New Order state reaching their fitted conclusions of how to obtain the “accelerated transformation” (coined by Habibie as one of the pivotal figure in here) throughout technological state implementation isn’t only implicated by isolated manner, but also through many present factors, both internal and external, which applying interesting paradigms how Indonesia’s technocratic aspiration come across fruitful, and it’s downfall which we’ll realised in hindsight, revealing a looming spectre of globalization and neoliberalism which remains related on how New Order and it's subsequent shape came in realization.
- The book itself mainly spend it’s time to dissect those process and development through more accurately academic approach of linearity and it’s attention to detailed approach and influence throughout the bureaucratic and development which unravels many positive and (mostly) negative aspects instead of imposing more literary writing, which ends up kind of dry in that kind of writing pursuit.
- The usage of abbreviation at everything we did is outrageously annoying, and it kind of realizing me that we're still doing it now at every faucet of organizations haha.
- Overall, it brought a peculiar and under-discussed insight of how New Order operates through establishing itself, both as a developing third world country which sought themselves as an “powerhouse” within their west-block allies and to mythologize itself through “advancement” as a means of how a modern state vindicates itself throughout homogenous attempt of globalization and the values it posits (and the way it goes, seems like we’re going to be more involved than before) - and regardless of the dominion of turmoil that happened in present Indonesia (also the whole world), we’re being thought of how to learn from rising attempt of “technological foundation” that we attempt in the authoritarian past, and the failure it persist in effect.
- Hopefully this book will be translated in Indonesian sooner, would like to discuss it with my STEM friends
February 24, 2018
Buku ini menceritakan proses pengembangan industrialisasi teknologi tinggi (high tech) yaitu pesawat terbang sebagai mercusuar projek Indonesia untuk menuju negara yang andalkan nilai tambah (added value) sebagai driver dari pertumbuhan ekonomi. Langkah ini diambil oleh Presiden Soeharto adalah untuk mengantarkan Indonesia untuk lepas landas, mengutip ide Maslow, karena saat itu ekonomi Indonesia sedang baik-baiknya di mana Pemerintah dapat mempertahankan pertumbuhan ekonomi 7 persen dan meningkatkan pendapatan perkapita hingga 4 kali dari awal-awal periode. Industrialisasi dilakukan dengan merevitalisasi perusahaan pesawat terbang yang sudah ada (LIPNUR milik TNI AD) yang awalnya hanya untuk men-supply demand dari TNI menjadi komersial untuk market dalam negeri dan luar negeri. Core bisnis yang berubah menuntut perusahaan untuk mampu menguasai proses berindustri di mana kemampuan ini belum dimiliki oleh bangsa Indonesia. Maka untuk itulah banyak anak bangsa disekolahkan ke berbagai universitas besar di seluruh penjuru dunia untuk belajar terkait aerodinamika dan ilmu-ilmu yang terkait dengan pengembangan Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN), perusahaan plat merah yang menjadi ujung tombak. B.J. Habibie sebagai seorang arsitek dalam industrialisasi ini mem-propose empat tahapan pengembangan yang diistilahkan dengan strategi “Loncat Katak” di mana menciptakan SDM unggul sebagai tahap-tahap mula. Karena perusahaan ini sangat berisiko, proses pengembangannya didanai dari APBN sampai IPTN sukses membuat produk unggulannya, N250. Karena pengembangan perusahaan sangat terkait dengan negara (state-led), kembang-kempis-nya perusahaan bergantung pula dengan kondisi negara. Maka, ketika krisis ekonomi disusul dengan krisis politik pada 1997-1998 dengan jatuhnya Orde Baru, jatuh pula IPTN.
Kritik pada Buku
Penulis buku ini mengistilahkan “Symbolic power” bahwa IPTN dibangun adalah untuk melanggengkan supremasi kepemimpinan Orde Baru dan bahwa Presiden Soeharto dipandang tidak cukup faham dengan bagaimana menjadikan industri high tech sebagai driving force pertumbuhan ekonomi. Maka langkah pendirian IPTN sekedar simbol saja untuk menunjukkan bahwa Orde Baru itu hebat. Di sana saya melihat penulis tidak fair melihat persoalan ini karena sekedar mengkaitkan proses gagalnya IPTN dengan Presiden Soeharto. Meskipun ditambah alasan lain seperti dengan globalisasi yang market driven serta pertentangan kepentingan dengan ekonom aliran Berkeley yang cenderung pada ekonomi komparatif dengan added-value rendah sejak 1980an ketika kekuatan Habibie menguat di perpolitikan Indonesia. Saya kira penulis terlalu sentimen pada Presiden Soeharto dan Orde Barunya, Ia tidak clear melihat dari semangat berdikari di bidang teknologi terlepas ada suatu yang salah dalam proses keberjalannya. Harusnya penulis mengangkat bahwa globalisasi yang menjunjung tinggi fairness di antara negara-negara tetap mengedepankan semangat ekualitas di antara negara baik negara maju maupun berkembang. Realitanya kan tidak, IMF dengan arogansinya menyatakan Indonesia harus men-stop IPTN terlepas secara bisnis masih sehat namun mendorong BLBI dengan gelontoran dana berkali-kali lipat dari biaya IPTN yang akhirnya tetap juga tidak membantu secara signifikan penyehatan kembali ekonomi Indonesia. Bahasan terkait ini harusnya diulas lebih panjang oleh penulis karena itu adalah akar utama persoalannya.
Kritik pada Buku
Penulis buku ini mengistilahkan “Symbolic power” bahwa IPTN dibangun adalah untuk melanggengkan supremasi kepemimpinan Orde Baru dan bahwa Presiden Soeharto dipandang tidak cukup faham dengan bagaimana menjadikan industri high tech sebagai driving force pertumbuhan ekonomi. Maka langkah pendirian IPTN sekedar simbol saja untuk menunjukkan bahwa Orde Baru itu hebat. Di sana saya melihat penulis tidak fair melihat persoalan ini karena sekedar mengkaitkan proses gagalnya IPTN dengan Presiden Soeharto. Meskipun ditambah alasan lain seperti dengan globalisasi yang market driven serta pertentangan kepentingan dengan ekonom aliran Berkeley yang cenderung pada ekonomi komparatif dengan added-value rendah sejak 1980an ketika kekuatan Habibie menguat di perpolitikan Indonesia. Saya kira penulis terlalu sentimen pada Presiden Soeharto dan Orde Barunya, Ia tidak clear melihat dari semangat berdikari di bidang teknologi terlepas ada suatu yang salah dalam proses keberjalannya. Harusnya penulis mengangkat bahwa globalisasi yang menjunjung tinggi fairness di antara negara-negara tetap mengedepankan semangat ekualitas di antara negara baik negara maju maupun berkembang. Realitanya kan tidak, IMF dengan arogansinya menyatakan Indonesia harus men-stop IPTN terlepas secara bisnis masih sehat namun mendorong BLBI dengan gelontoran dana berkali-kali lipat dari biaya IPTN yang akhirnya tetap juga tidak membantu secara signifikan penyehatan kembali ekonomi Indonesia. Bahasan terkait ini harusnya diulas lebih panjang oleh penulis karena itu adalah akar utama persoalannya.
January 1, 2019
This book is one pioneer in STS study focused in Indonesia. It tells the story how Indonesia, in the midst of its early developmental state, tried to changing its development way becoming a technological state. It tells how Soeharto ambition on building a national technology capacity by giving Habibie access to develop the capacity. The book shows why Habibie is the central figure in this ambition and how it affects the political landscape in Indonesia, and vice versa.
One interesting point that I could take from this book is that Islam, or in this context Moslem scholar, has considerably high influence in shaping the technological state nation. The creation of ICMI is the best example how Islam helped the technological state notion in Indonesia during that time. Although not all Moslem scholars has similar view, for example Gus Dur, on this, it could be said that it cools the "war" between Soeharto and Islam.
Indonesian dream of having a technological state during Soeharto presidency was over a long time ago. The Asian crisis dethroned Soeharto, and after that the later Presidents had another view in the development of Indonesian technological state.
This book is very good if you are interested in STS, Indonesian politics, or technological policies in South East Asia. It is interesting to look how technological state could re-emerge in Indonesia after this.
One interesting point that I could take from this book is that Islam, or in this context Moslem scholar, has considerably high influence in shaping the technological state nation. The creation of ICMI is the best example how Islam helped the technological state notion in Indonesia during that time. Although not all Moslem scholars has similar view, for example Gus Dur, on this, it could be said that it cools the "war" between Soeharto and Islam.
Indonesian dream of having a technological state during Soeharto presidency was over a long time ago. The Asian crisis dethroned Soeharto, and after that the later Presidents had another view in the development of Indonesian technological state.
This book is very good if you are interested in STS, Indonesian politics, or technological policies in South East Asia. It is interesting to look how technological state could re-emerge in Indonesia after this.
September 21, 2020
Thanks to the author, Prof @sociotalker. This book give me new perspective about New Order compare with what I learned during high school.
May 6, 2021
READING HISTORY BOOK LIKE NO OTHER.
January 22, 2024
Rigorous exploration on the relationship between the New Order's technological programs and Suharto's authoritarian politics.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews