Economist Mubyarto dies at 67
Economist Mubyarto dies at 67
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
Economist Mubyarto passed away on Tuesday after being treated for
three days at the Dr. Sardjito Hospital in Yogyakarta for a heart
problem and pleurisy. He was 67.
The respected rural economics specialist from Gadjah Mada
University will be laid out in the university's hall on Wednesday
at 11 a.m.. He will be buried at the Sawit Sari cemetery in
Sleman, Yogyakarta on Wednesday at noon.
He is survived by his wife, four children and six
grandchildren.
Mubyarto was admitted to Dr. Sardjito Hospital on Saturday
after complaining of breathing problems after jogging.
"He usually jogged for an hour every Saturday, but last
Saturday, he only ran for 10 minutes. When mother asked why he
only jogged for 10 minutes, he said he was having breathing
problems," said his third son, Toni Satrianto.
Despite his complaint, he added, his father managed to bathe
and have breakfast before asking to be taken to the hospital. He
was diagnosed of pleurisy and a mild heart attack. "Apart from
diabetes, my father has never complained of feeling sick," Toni
said.
His father was still joking around about politics, on Monday
night and asked who was being elected to chair the Democratic
Party. "But on Tuesday morning, he complained of breathing
problems again and his blood pressure dropped. He was given
breathing assistance before he died at 2:10 p.m," he said.
Among mourners who paid tribute to Mubyarto on Tuesday were
Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan
Hamengkubuwono X and media tycoon Surya Paloh.
Kalla praised Mubyarto as a low profile person whose ideas,
such as those regarding the least-developed villages and equal
development in villages, were partly adopted by the government in
its programs.
A graduate of Gadjah Mada University's School of Economics in
1959, Mubyarto, who was born in Yogyakarta, was known for his
Pancasila economy concept.
The economist, who was also a Ph.D. graduate from Iowa State
University in 1965, started to introduce the Pancasila economy
concept in the 1980s, believing that it is more suitable and
"humane" for the country than a capitalist economy.
He founded the Center for Pancasila Economic Studies at the
university in 1995, which he chaired.
Mubyarto was the recipient of the Bung Hatta Award in 2001,
the Satyalencana Pembangunan Koperasi Award in 1998 and the
Bintang Mahaputra Utama Award in 1997.
He was also known as a prolific scholar who had written
numerous books and papers, mostly on agricultural economics, the
rural economy and poverty.