The Indonesian Presidency: The Shift from Personal toward Constitutional Rule (Asia/Pacific/Perspectives)

This pioneering study of the Indonesian presidency significantly redefines our understanding of Indonesian politics from independence to the present. Angus McIntyre blends political biography with constitutional history to locate Indonesian leaders within both Indonesian cultural frameworks and the global biographical literature on political leaders.The Indonesian Presidency shows how Indonesia's 1945 constitution provided first for the personal rule of presidents Sukarno and Soeharto and then facilitated the shift towards constitutional rule that marked the presidencies of B.J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid, and Megawati Sukarnoputri. This important study elevates the personalities of Sukarno and Soeharto into key explanatory factors for the character of their'Guided Democracy'and'New Order'regimes, respectively. It argues that in 1959 Sukarno began fashioning his system of personal rule, to the detriment of Indonesia's parliamentary democracy. Another constitutional turning point occurred in 1998, when a rudimentary constitutional rule reappeared. The broad shift since 1998 from personal to constitutional rule has its personal counterpoint in the relationship between Megawati and her father, which makes this unique blend of history and biography a powerful tool for understanding the Indonesian presidency. An afterword by the author on the book's website, www.rowmanlittlefield.com/isbn/0742538273, brings readers up to date on Indonesian political developments that have affected the presidency since the book's publication.For an up-to-date afterword by the author, click here; for glossary, click here.

This pioneering study of the Indonesian presidency significantly redefines our understanding of Indonesian politics from independence to the present. Angus McIntyre blends political biography with constitutional history to locate Indonesian leaders within both Indonesian cultural frameworks and the global biographical literature on political leaders. The Indonesian Presidency shows how Indonesia's 1945 constitution provided first for the personal rule of presidents Sukarno and Soeharto and then facilitated the shift towards constitutional rule that marked the presidencies of B.J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid, and Megawati Sukarnoputri. This important study elevates the personalities of Sukarno and Shoeharto into key explanatory factors for the character of their _Guided Democracy_ and _New Order_ regimes, respectively. It argues that in 1959 Sukarno began fashioning his system of personal rule, to the detriment of Indonesia's parliamentary democracy. Another constitutional turning point occurred in 1998, when a rudimentary constitutional rule reappeared. The broad shift since 1998 from personal to constitutional rule has its personal counterpoint in the relationship between Megawati and her father, which makes this unique blend of history and biography a powerful tool for understanding the Indonesian presidency. An afterword by the author on the website for The Indonesian Presidency, http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com/isbn/0742538273, brings readers up to date on Indonesian political developments that have affected the presidency since the book's publication. An afterword by the author on the website for The Indonesian Presidency,http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com/isbn/0742538273, brings readers up to date on Indonesian political developments that have affected the presidency since the book's publication.

This pioneering study of the Indonesian presidency significantly redefines our understanding of Indonesian politics from independence to the present. Angus McIntyre blends political biography with constitutional history to locate Indonesian leaders within both Indonesian cultural frameworks and the global biographical literature on political leaders. The Indonesian Presidency shows how Indonesia's 1945 constitution provided first for the personal rule of presidents Sukarno and Soeharto and then facilitated the shift towards constitutional rule that marked the presidencies of B.J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid, and Megawati Sukarnoputri. This important study elevates the personalities of Sukarno and Shoeharto into key explanatory factors for the character of their 'Guided Democracy' and 'New Order' regimes, respectively. It argues that in 1959 Sukarno began fashioning his system of personal rule, to the detriment of Indonesia's parliamentary democracy. Another constitutional turning point occurred in 1998, when a rudimentary constitutional rule reappeared. The broad shift since 1998 from personal to constitutional rule has its personal counterpoint in the relationship between Megawati and her father, which makes this unique blend of history and biography a powerful tool for understanding the Indonesian presidency. An afterword by the author on the website for The Indonesian Presidency, http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com/isbn/0742538273, brings readers up to date on Indonesian political developments that have affected the presidency since the book's publication. An afterword by the author on the website for The Indonesian Presidency, http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com/isbn/0742538273, brings readers up to date on Indonesian political developments that have affected the presidency since the book's publication. Cover Title Page Copyright Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1: The Return to the 1945 Constitution Part I 2: The Personal Rule of Sukarno 3: Suffering from the Quiet: Sukarno's Desolation and His Politics of Being Central 4: Aging and Fear of Death: Sukarno's Politics of Rejuvenation and His Quest for Immortality 5: Sukarno: Abandoned by History? Part II 6: The Personal Rule of Soeharto 7: Soeharto's Composure Part III 8: Megawati and the Emergence of Constitutional Rule 9: Childhood and Youth of Megawati Sukarnoputri 10: Megawati Sukarnoputri's Political Apprenticeship 11: Challenging Soeharto 12: The Fall of Soeharto 13: Democracy Returns 14: A Female President? 15: Megawati Sukamoputri as Vice President 16: President Megawati Sukamoputri Conclusion Postscript: The Indonesian Parliamentary Elections of 2004 Bibliography Index About the Author "This pioneering study of the Indonesian presidency significantly redefines our understanding of Indonesian politics from independence to the present. Angus McIntyre blends political biography with constitutional history to locate Indonesian leaders within both Indonesian cultural frameworks and the global biographical literature on political leaders. The Indonesian Presidency shows how Indonesia's 1945 constitution first provided for the personal rule of presidents Sukarno and Soeharto and then facilitated the shift toward constitutional rule that marked the presidencies of B.J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid, and Megawati Sukarnoputri."