Thirty-year-old research center, first home of famed scholars

J. Soedradjad Djiwandono is a former governor of Bank Indonesia and currently a senior visiting research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) of Singapore. He was one of many people conveying their congratulations in a publication released on the 30th anniversary of the LP3ES research institute. The following are excerpts of his statement sent to LP3ES.

JAKARTA: The Institute for Social and Economic Research, Education and Information (LP3ES) was established 30 years ago by a number of people highly concerned about the development of our society's social and economic life. They were previously grouped together in the Indonesian Group for Economic and Social Development (Bineksos), which was formed some time earlier.

They consisted of intellectuals, journalists and businesspeople, including Prof. Soemitro Djojohadikusumo, Satrio B. Joedono, Emil Salim, Suhadi Mangkusuwondo, Jusuf Ronodipuro, Nono Anwar Makarim and Djunaidi Hadisumarto. All of them had a common vision and ambition to support the development of research, education and information on Indonesia's social and economic affairs. I was a member of Bineksos and I took part in the election of LP3ES executives on several occasions.

My involvement in LP3ES started a few months before its establishment when I joined a group of intellectuals, businesspeople and journalists, on the invitation of Frederick Naumann Stiftung (FNS) to visit Germany for about two weeks in May 1971.

I was then working for the National Institute for Economic and Social Affairs (Leknas), a research affiliate of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). At the same time, I was also assistant to the then minister of trade Sumitro Djojohadikusumo, who assigned me to act as his liaison officer to minister of information Budiardjo.

In Germany, we had discussions for some days in Bonn with staff members of FNS about social and economic problems and challenges encountered by Indonesia. We talked about how to develop research, education and information on social and economic affairs in Indonesia with assistance from FNS.

After the establishment of Bineksos, LP3ES was set up in August 1971 with Nono Anwar Makarim as its first director. His successors included Dawam Rahardjo, Ismid Hadad, Tawang Alun, Aswab Mahasin and Imam Ahmad.

LP3ES then published books, coordinated research and published a magazine Prisma. The magazine printed various experts' articles on their studies, analysis and views on Indonesian social and economic affairs and LP3ES used the magazine effectively in carrying out its mission.

As a devout fan of Prisma, I still mourn the discontinuation of its publication. I also regret that during its publication period, I only wrote two articles for it. I sincerely hope that Prisma can be published again.

Prisma was an excellent magazine and among magazines of a similar caliber such as Ekonomi Keuangan Indonesia (Indonesian Monetary Economy) and Manajemen dan Usahawan (Management and Businesspeople) published by the Faculty of Economics of the University of Indonesia and Basis from Yogyakarta, Prisma had its own outstanding position.

Besides reading its magazine, I also kept in contact with LP3ES through its research activities. When I became junior minister of trade (1988-1993), we cooperated in research for the development of small-scale businesses. One year before my ministerial post ended, LP3ES published my book entitled Perdagangan dan Pembangunan: Tantangan, Peluang dan Kebijaksanaan Perdagangan Luar Negeri (Trade and Development: Challenges, Opportunities and Policies on Foreign Trade).

When I was working with Bank Indonesia, I asked LP3ES to assign a team of writers under the coordination of economist Dawam Rahardjo to compose a book on the central bank based on materials provided by its divisions. The book, entitled Bank Indonesia dalam Kilasan Sejarah Bangsa (Bank Indonesia in the History of the Nation), was printed by LP3ES in August 1995.

(Upon my dismissal as Bank Indonesia governor), I ... told president Soeharto that I would write a book on Indonesia's economic crisis, how it developed and the policies taken by the government to overcome it. I assigned LP3ES as its publisher.

In the current economic environment, where the ups and downs, the merging and the splitting of companies are seen as routine events, I hope that there is still a constructive emotional drive to sustain the survival of LP3ES.

This institution, in its operation as a business entity, must be ready to face competition and be able to act like other businesses. Even though its mission makes it different from other businesses that can make quick changes, LP3ES must not move backwards or even disappear.

Research, education and information on social and economic affairs is the respectable task of LP3ES, the institution therefore, must be able to survive any turbulence and crisis. It must continue to steadfastly carry out its mission -- building a new Indonesia as a sustainable civilized society. (Rikza Abdullah)