Indonesian Leaders Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sukarno

Sukarno (Soekarno in the old spelling) was politically active beginning in the 1920s, opposing the Dutch colonial administration. Following the Japanese occupation of Indonesia during World War II, he and Muhammad Hatta declared Indonesia's independence on August 17, 1945, although the Dutch attempted to reestablish control and did not officially recognize Indonesia's independence until 1949. Sukarno was instrumental in bringing Indonesia's ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse population together in the new nation, establishing a strong sense of identity through the national language, Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian).

He managed to stay in control through a period of political turmoil in the 1950s and established his own brand of "guided democracy".

In the 1960s, he increasingly depended upon support from communist nations while rejecting western aid and values. He lost power as a result of the September 30 (1965) Movement, often described as a failed coup, the details of which are still unclear. Sukarno remained a figurehead leader until March 12, 1967. Sukarno passed away in 1970 at age 69.

He is fondly remembered as "Bung Karno", the founder of Indonesia, a brilliant man (he spoke 10 languages) who gave Indonesia its identity.

Answer: General Suharto

Suharto was a major general who took control after the failed September 30 (1965) movement, being named as president in 1967. He did not allow opposition or viable political parties under his rule, and elections were not regarded as free. Under the "new order", Suharto developed close ties with the US and western nations and was a strong opponent of communism, although officially he maintained that Indonesia was a neutral "non-blok" (non-aligned) nation. Economic development and education grew at an accelerated rate under his rule, and the standard of living for most Indonesians rose dramatically, despite a lack of political freedom.

Over time, Suharto's family and friends came to control much of the economy, and corruption flourished as the economy grew. In May 1998, in the midst of the Asian Economic Crisis, an attempt to raise fuel prices led to widespread anti-government demonstrations. The government attempted to crack down, partly by trying to divert anger towards the ethnic Chinese community. Demonstrations continued, gaining fuel when security forces killed four students on a university campus. On May 21, 1998, President Suharto resigned. Suharto is credited for the great strides in development in Indonesia during his 30+ years in power, but his legacy is tainted by the memories of corruption, cronyism and nepotism, and the lack of political freedom during his reign. Suharto passed away on January 4, 2008.

Answer: B.J. Habibie

Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie was chosen as vice president in March, 1998. On May 21, 1998, he became president when Suharto resigned. Habibie was the first non-Javanese president, as he is from North Sulawesi. He studied engineering in Germany, and lived there from 1955 until 1974, becoming the vice president of the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt.

In 1974, at Suharto's behest, he returned to Indonesia, and was the leader of Indonesia's efforts in the area of science and technology until he assumed the vice presidency. Habibie's term as president, which was seen as transitional as he was viewed as a member of the Suharto clique, was surprising to many, as he brought many important changes.

He established political competition and freedom of speech, promoted the referendum in East Timor which led to independence, and helped stabilize the failing economy.

He set a date for Indonesia's first-ever free and fair elections, which took place in 1999, with an amazing 48 political parties taking part. Habibie lost that election, as he was still viewed as part of the old order, and Indonesian voters were celebrating their ability to vote for new parties.

In retrospect, Habibie's brief tenure was instrumental in shaping the modern Indonesian nation, and he made many changes which were beneficial for the nation. On October 20, 1999, he handed power over to Indonesia's next president, the first time presidential succession occurred in a normal manner.

Answer: Abdurrachman Wahid

Abdurrachman Wahid (popularly known by his nickname Gus Dur), was the first president selected in a normal way by parliament on October 20, 1999, following Indonesia's first free and fair election. His party, PKB (the National Awakening Party) only received 12% of the vote (the leading party had 33%) among the 48 parties in the election. During a very divided parliament session to choose the president, Gus Dur emerged as a compromise candidate, and was selected as president.

Gus Dur had been a Muslim leader (head of the Nahdlatul Ulama organization), journalist and professor. He was well-educated, having studied in Egypt, Iraq, Canada and the United States, and spoke many languages fluently (he sometimes conducted press conferences in English, and was known to give speeches in English, Chinese, Arabic and Hebrew). Unfortunately, he was not a skilled politician, and was often unwilling to compromise, leading to a stalemate in governing, and had poor relations with the powerful Indonesian military. He dismissed key political figures, promoted unpopular cultural changes (such as lifting restrictions on Chinese culture and language), and was increasingly seen as recalcitrant and erratic. On July 23, 2001, he was unanimously impeached by parliament, and replaced by his vice president. Gus Dur passed away on December 20, 2009.

He is remembered as an ineffective leader, but a brilliant man. On another note, Gus Dur always maintained that he was "partially" blind, but his close associates have confirmed that he was completely blind in his later years, including his term as president.

Abdurrachman Wahid was the son of an Indonesian hero, Wahid Hasyim (1914-1953), and the grandson of another Indonesian hero, Hasyim Asyari (1875-1947).

Answer: Megawati Sukarnoputri

Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesia's much-admired first president Sukarno, assumed the presidency in 2001 when Abdurrachman Wahid was impeached. Megawati had been the vice president under Abdurrachman, having been selected to that post when her party, PDI-P, gained the largest number of votes (33%) in the 1999 elections and Abdurrachman emerged as a compromise candidate in a hotly-contested parliamentary session. Megawati served out the remainder of Abdurrachman's term, until the elections of 2004.

She lost the elections in 2004, and lost again in the 2009 elections. Megawati, the first president born in an independent Indonesia, proved to be an ineffective leader, unable to make clear decisions, lacking a clear ideology, and prone to inaction.

After losing the 2004 election, she handed over power on September 20, 2004.

Answer: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (often referred to by his initials, SBY) was a US-educated former army general. He was the first president directly elected by popular vote, for the 2004-2009 term, and was reelected for the 2009-2014 term. He was a popular president, overseeing strong economic growth, improved social welfare, environmental protection, and tentative attempts to reduce entrenched corruption in government.

Answer: Muhammad Hatta

Mohammad Hatta was the first vice president of Indonesia, and is seen as co-founder of the republic. His name can be found on Jakarta's Sukarno-Hatta airport. He eventually lost favor with Sukarno.

Sutan Sjahrir was Indonesia's first Prime Minister. He eventually fell out of favor with Sukarno and was written out of the history books.

Haji Agus Salim was a diplomat and an early Foreign Minister of Indonesia. He has been called the "grand old man" of Indonesian independence.

General Sudirman was a freedom fighter and the first commander-in-chief of the Indonesian army.

Answer: General Wiranto

Wiranto has been credited with allowing Indonesia's peaceful transition in 1998. He had the ability at that time to assert military government, but he resisted. Since that time, he has been active in politics. In 2003, he was indicted by the East Timor Special Crimes Unit for crimes against humanity, but the indictment was never enforced.

Answer: True

The final vote tallies from the 2009 election were:

1) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono: 73,874,562 votes, 60.80%
2) Megawati Sukarnoputri: 32,548,105 votes, 26.79%
3) Jusuf Kalla: 15,081,814 votes, 12.41%

Answer: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

SBY's 2010 album followed others released in 2007 and 2009. He has also authored four books, including three on Indonesian politics and economics as well as a volume of poetry. In his younger days, SBY was in the band "Gaya Teruna". Former president BJ Habibie was an excellent singer as well, and often appeared on TV, singing pop songs (usually in English).