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.