THE EXIT OF IBNU SUTOWO
by Rosihan Anwar
NEW STRAITS TIMES, 22 March 1976
Lt. Gen. Dr. Haji Ibnu Sutowo, 62, who will be recorded in Indonesian history as the man who put Pertamina on the world's oil map, is no longer at the helm of the state oil company. He was "sacked with honor" by President Suharto on 3 March, and two days later, he went abroad for medical treatment. Although ever since Pertamina landed in financial trouble in early 1975, it had been more or less expected that General Ibnu Sutowo would have to go, nevertheless many people -- and even some "insiders" -- were surprised by his swift and sudden dismissal. What had happened? Reading the Indonesian press, one needed help to understand the background better. Yet some comments convey how they view Dr Ibnu and Pertamina. Newspapers like KOMPAS and SINAR HARAPAN welcomed the changes.
And they were favorably disposed towards Pertamina's new acting president director, Maj Gen Piet Haryono, 56. KOMPAS quoted the opinions of observers in Jakarta that Piet Haryono represents "a terrific choice" for Pertamina during this crisis. On the other hand, MERDEKA showed its sympathy with Dr Ibnu. Pertamina's weaknesses, which caused the national crisis Ibnu in 1975, were not only sloppy accounting, loose control, or audacious speculation. The core of the trouble went deeper, perhaps embedded in the development strategy, said SINAR HARAPAN.
In this connection, the paper referred to Dr. Ibnu's interview with PRISMA magazine in its February issue, where he explained his concept of development very clearly. Luck Factor Faced with today's modern world, Dr Ibnu wanted to accelerate the development of the modern sector of the economy. However, at one time, that concept must clash with equitable income distribution. KOMPAS pointed out that there are currently two approaches to Indonesia's development. One approach is the Pertamina pattern; the other is the Bappenas pattern. (Bappenas is the National Planning Agency under Prof Widjojo Nitisastro, the minister of state for economics, finance, and industry, and generally regarded as the leader of the technocrats.) If there had been some kind of dualism, now it seems there would be only one pattern, in the opinion of KOMPAS. This will be the Bappenas pattern.
Although no paper has spelled it out, it is nonetheless straightforward to observers that the dismissal of Dr Ibnu represents "a victory for the technocrats and their allies among the military." One of the points touched on in connection with the Pertamina crisis is the need to practice austerity consistently. Time and time again, President Suharto urged the nation to follow "the pattern of the simple life." Pertamina, with its grandeur and conspicuous expenditure style, is often considered out of step. No wonder the minister of mining, Prof Mohammad Sadli, emphasized in his speech to Pertamina's new board of directors that they must enforce austerity. The reason is apparent. Pertamina's external and internal debts had risen so high, running into billions of U.S. dollars, that it would require many years to repay them. Not everyone, though, agrees with putting the blame squarely on the shoulders of Dr Ibnu. MERDEKA and some political figures like Mohammad Isnaeni from the Nationalist side or Yusuf Hasyim from the Muslims had words of praise and appreciation for this man who built Pertamina from scratch.
Out of the ruins and scrap iron of the Pangkalan Brandan oilfield in North Sumatra -- burned during World War II -- Dr. Ibnu, back in 1957, began to build the company that became Pertamina. That achievement has to be acknowledged. BUSINESS NEWS, however, also pointed out that the element of "hokkie" (the Chinese word for "luck") must be taken into account in the case of Perta- mina. The increase in oil prices in 1973 boosted Pertamina's income immensely. Equating achievement with "hokkie," opined BUSINESS NEWS would be wrong. Whatever the truth of the matter, and despite some of the failings and misjudgments of Dr Ibnu, one must grant that he is not an ordinary man. He has proven he has all the qualities of an innovator, an entrepreneur, and a dreamer. "Great Man" One of his dreams is to see the Indonesians develop themselves strongly and quickly in the field of economic activities, moved by an inner conviction that, given the tools, they can find a place under the sun without depending on the aid or patronage of outsiders whether it is Mr. Jones, Kurata - san or Mr Lim. In short, he propounds the concept of "economic nationalism" with a sense of realism and pragmatism, cooperating with the developed countries with international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, providing the ultimate decisions rest with the Indonesians alone, and not allowing them to be reduced to the status of "compradors." Now that he has left Pertamina, much of this dream will remain a dream. Yet it is not too much of an exaggeration when the head of Pertamina Public Relations told TEMPO magazine: "There goes a great man." What will Dr Ibnu do now? He is expected to be back in Jakarta this week. He is a wealthy man; he does not need more and more income, but indeed, he cannot remain idle. He has already hinted that he wants to set up a consulting bureau. A man with his energy and experience can still contribute quite a lot to the economic development of the Republic of Indonesia.
DISCLAIMER
This is HOW Me Do IT! Grrr... this blog memo is mainly written for OWN PURPOSES. This post is based on "Google Here, There, and Everywhere". Whether this is PLAGIARY or RESEARCH, there has never been a claim that this is an original work, nor is it necessarily the best solution, and not for Scopus consumption :). Please provide feedback, especially if you have alternative explanations. Hopefully, this note will be helpful in the future when you have forgotten how to solve this trivia problem.
DISKLAIMER
INIlah yang KUlakukan! Grrr... memo blog ini terutama ditulis untuk KEPERLUAN SENDIRI. Tulisan ini berbasis "Google Sana, Google Sini, Coba Itu, Coba Ini, Lalu Tanya-tanyi". Entah ini PLAGIAT, entah ini RISET, yang jelas tidak pernah ada klaim bahwa ini merupakan karya asli, serta belum tentu pula merupakan solusi terbaik, serta bukan untuk konsumsi Scopus :). Mohon kiranya memberikan tanggapan, terutama jika memiliki solusi alternatif. Semoga catatan ini akan bermanfaat di masa mendatang, saat sudah lupa cara menyelesaikan masalah trivia ini.
This is the Way!
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