Megawati awards U.S. scholar Bresnan

Megawati awards U.S. scholar Bresnan

President Megawati Soekarnoputri honored American researcher
John J. Bresnan (right) on Wednesday for helping thousands of
Indonesian scholars to study abroad during a decade of working
with the Ford Foundation.

Megawati presented Bresnan of Columbia University with the
Bintang Jasa Pratama, or the Star of Primary Service, one of the
highest honors for work that promotes Indonesia.

Bresnan, currently with the East Asian Institute at the
university, is an old friend of Indonesia and has served twice in
the country with the Ford Foundation, from 1961 to 1965 as deputy
chief, and from 1969 to 1974 as the foundation's chief.

His greatest contributions to Indonesia came in the form of
sending the country's most prominent economists for tertiary
programs at the University of California at Berkeley in 1961.

Economists such as Widjojo Nitisastro, Emil Salim and Ali
Wardhana were among these scholars, and later became known as the
architects of the New Order economy. These economists were often
referred to as members of the "Berkeley Mafia."

In addition, Bresnan helped send many other Indonesians to
study at American universities, academics who later became the
country's pioneering experts in many fields such as history,
literature, Islamic studies and women's studies.

Bresnan, who has authored books on Indonesia and on Southeast
Asia, is the third American after George Kahin of Cornell
University and Clifford Geertz of Princeton University to receive
the award.

The award was initially slated to be given in Washington by an
Indonesian representative, but the arrangement was changed as
Megawati wanted to present the award to Bresnan personally.
--Agencies.