(2) Indonesia: Post-independence development
Indonesia after Independence/Teachers’ Reference
Teachers’ Reference
Enquiry
question
What was the major development of Indonesia after its
independence?
Content
Closely related to the History curriculum (S4-6)
Learning
Objectives
Knowledge:  The political, socio-economic and diplomatic development of
Indonesia after its independence
 Indonesia as an example to understand the development in other
SE Asian countries after independence
Skills:
Attitude:





To evaluate
To categorize
To develop historical empathy
To encourage persistence in adversity
To respect different opinions and cultures
Teaching flow:
Teachers may select or modify the activities in this teaching plan so as to suit the learning needs of
their students.
Items
A
Format
Introduction  Think-pair-share
Learning Objectives
 To arouse interest
 To activate prior
Content

Students’ perception
of Indonesia

Brief bibliographies
of the Presidents

analyse the major
development of
Indonesia after
Problems
encountered and
solutions adopted by
the various
independence
Presidents
knowledge
B
Activity 1
 Think-pair-share  To facilitate
understanding of the
documentary by
adding/revising
information about the
Presidents
C
Activity 2
 Watch the
 To know, classify and
documentary
 Worksheet
 Think-pair-share
D
Conclusion
 Think-pair-share  To summarize the

Improvements in
different aspects

Review the
modernization
major development
E
Extended
Activity
 Homework
 To compare the post
independence
development of
Indonesia and other
Southeast Asian
countries
1
progress of
Southeast Asia
Indonesia after Independence/Teachers’ Reference
Note
1. Self-motivated learners may do Activities 1 and 2 at home as pre-lesson activities,
and then present their work in class.
2. The fact sheet about the Presidents (Appendix) is found in the last part of this file.
A. Introduction
Step 1
Using a map of Indonesia to familiarize students with the location and geographical
composition of the country.
(http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/asia/indonesia/)
Step 2



Teacher: “If you have a chance to work or study in Indonesia, would you accept
the offer? Explain your answer.”
Using the board writing, teacher advises students what to consider before
making their decisions.
Step 2 tries to relate history study to daily life of students. If this will be given as
a home assignment, students are encouraged to collect more relevant information
from Indonesian domestic helpers at home or in their neighbourhood.
B. Activity 1: Who’s who?
Step 1
There were 4 Presidents in Indonesia in the 2nd half of the 20th century. Using the
Fact Sheet (Appendix), find out their background and complete the following table.
2
Indonesia after Independence/Teachers’ Reference
Refer to
Appendix
Sukarno
(1945-67)
Suharto
(1967-98)
Habibie
(1998-99)
Wahid
(1999-2001)
Education
level
Tertiary
Secondary
Tertiary
Tertiary
Major studies
Civil engineering
/
Engineering
Overseas
/
/
Germany
Islamic and
Arabic Studies
East
studies
Other career
experiences
Europe, Middle
/
An army leader
Director of an
Famous social
aerospace
commentator;
company,
university
Minister of
lecturer
Technology &
Research
Students’
observation
Think about
Do experiences mentioned above affect their style of governance? Let us
find out. (Come back to this table after you have found the answer.)
Source of Photos: Modernization and Transformation of South East Asia – Case Studies, Case 1: Indonesia,
2011, Personal, Social and Humanities Education Section, Education Bureau, HKSAR
Note


The Presidents all wear Muslim cap, Taqiyah, showing the strong Islamic
influence over the country.
Students may vote for the leader they like most after learning about the
development of Indonesia. They should explain their choices.
3
Indonesia after Independence/Teachers’ Reference
C.
Activity 2: Watch the documentary
(chapter by chapter; followed by short discussion)
Step 1
Note
Let us watch a documentary about the modernization and transformation of
Indonesia in the 20th century, chapter by chapter. After watching one chapter,
using the worksheet, you’ll do an MCQ exercise to identify the major ideas. You
may work together with your partner.



The MC question exercise helps students understand the documentary and identify
the difficulties the Presidents encountered.
It also reminds students the 3 perspectives (political, economic and social) to
classify government policies.
The amount of information provided in the MC questions can be adjusted
according to the ability of students and the skills to be trained, e.g. deleting the
type of policy, examples of the policy or the distracters.
Chapter name & time location:
Sukarno (1945-67) [4:45-7:07]
Question 1:
Sukarno became the first president of Indonesia in 1950.
adopted by him?
What political system was first
Answer:
(a)  Democratic system with an elected Parliament and a responsible cabinet.
(b)  Dictatorial / pseudo-democratic system with limited election; the President has all the
power.
Question 2:
Sukarno’s early governance resulted in political instability in the late 1950s. What policies
were adopted then?
Choices & answers:
 Outlawed some political parties and tightened the control over the
country by, e.g. centralization, strengthening the military, etc.
Politically
 Allowed fair political participation of the public by, e.g. improving
the election system, increasing the power of the Parliament etc.
 Followed a capitalist path, e.g. low tax rate, encouraging foreign
Economically
investment, etc.
4
Indonesia after Independence/Teachers’ Reference
Diplomatically
 Followed a socialist path, e.g. nationalization, confiscating foreign
assets, etc.
 Maintained good relationship with developing countries in Asia and
Africa to resist imperialism, e.g. not carry out embargo imposed on
China, etc.
 Adopted a pro-western country policy e.g. joined the United
Nations and other international organizations, etc.
Question 3:
People were dissatisfied about the development of Indonesia. What was/were the major
problem(s) faced by Indonesia, according to the video?
Choices & Answer:
(a)  The living standard of the people remained low.
(b)  There was a lack of political freedom and stability.
(c)  Both
Concluding notes:
(i) Sukarno fell from power in 1967 due to the anti-communist demonstration staged by a
group of military men.
(ii) According to the documentary, the major concern of Sukarno’s government was stability
and unity. But people asked for higher living standard. Besides, some people were
dissatisfied with the restrictions on the political rights. These discrepancies led to the fall
of the government. Domestically speaking, Sukarno failed.
(iii) On foreign relations, Sukarno tried to lead the Southeast Asian countries. He encouraged
the formation of ASEAN to resist western influence and to get people’s support. The
ASEAN is playing an important role in international relations nowadays.
Note

Instructing students to jot down concluding notes offers them a good opportunity
to practice skills of note-taking.
Chapter name & time location:
Suharto (1967-98) [7:07-14:29]
Question 1:
Suharto became the Acting President in 1967 and the President of Indonesia in 1968. What
policies did he adopt in his governance?
Choices & answers:
 Practicing Western democracy and encouraging political participation.
Politically
 Outlawing the communist party and practicing military dictatorship.
Economically  Recruiting Western educated leaders, making 5-year plans, developing
5
Indonesia after Independence/Teachers’ Reference


Socially


Diplomatically

infrastructure and industry, exporting natural resources, receiving
foreign loans, etc.
Recruiting foreign experts, practicing free economy, stressing
sustainable development, exporting industrial products, relying on
domestic capital, etc.
Promoting racial harmony and communication between different
religions.
Banning using Chinese language and celebrating Chinese festivals.
Staying closer to the West, especially the US.
Maintaining close relation with Southeast Asia through ASEAN.
Question 2:
Did conditions in Indonesia improve as a result of Suharto’s policies?
Choices & Answer:
(a)  Yes. Indonesia underwent rapid socio-economic development, e.g. growth of GDP,
increase in job opportunities, decrease of the population living under the poverty line,
becoming the largest economy in Southeast Asia.
(b)  No. There was serious injustice due to political prosecution and corruption.
Unemployment rate became high after the financial turmoil in 1997 as a result of heavy
foreign debt and wealth disparity.
(c)  Both.
Concluding notes:
 Suharto fell from power in 1998 due to nationwide anti-government demonstrations.
 The major concerns of Suharto’s government were to increase its power and promote
economic development. However, being increasingly influenced by Western values, the
people wanted higher living standard and more social justice. Losing people’s support,
Suharto finally fell from power.
Challenging question:
How far was Indonesia improved under the rule of Suharto? Construct a table to develop an
outline to answer this question. Then search information from the documentary and the
textbook.
Aspect of development
Indonesia in 1950s
Political
Economic
Social
6
Indonesia in 1990s
Indonesia after Independence/Teachers’ Reference
Chapter name & time location:
Habibie (1998-1999) [14:29-15:20]
Wahid (1999-2001) [15:20-18:28]
Question 1:
Habibie became the President in 1998. What political changes did he make?
Choices & Answer:
(a)  Democratic system allowing people to form political parties and join the election.
(b)  Autocratic system banning certain political parties and limited election.
Question 2:
Wahid succeeded Habibie as the fourth President in 1999. How did Indonesia change under his
rule?
Choices & Answer:
Politically
Economically
Socially






The framework of democracy at the national level was improved.
National identity was strengthened.
Economic influence of the military was much weakened.
Government intervention over the economy was increased.
The people became unified by promoting Islam as the state religion.
Anti-Chinese policy was abandoned, and Chinese was given
freedom of the press.
Concluding notes:

The progress of democratization was satisfactory, but the pace of making improvement of
social conditions remained slow.

After experiencing the “Guided Democracy” of Sukarno and the “New Order
authoritarianism” of Suharto, Indonesia adopted democratic system again.
Challenging question:
What favourable conditions are needed for a country to practice democracy successfully?
Answer:
e.g. political and social stability, high political consciousness, high literacy rate of the
population, sound economic foundation etc.
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Indonesia after Independence/Teachers’ Reference
D.
Conclusion
Tick the suitable phrases to describe the governance of the Presidents (1945-2001).
Sukarno (1945-67)
[4:45-7:07]
Suharto (1967-98)
[7:07-14:29]
Habibie (1998-1999)
[14:29-15:20] and
Wahid (1999-2001)
[15:20-18:28]
Policy and situation
 Democratic system
 Poor economy
 Parliamentary government
 Prosperity
(early years)
 Close to the West
 Centralized leadership
 Close to the communist bloc
 Market economy
 Anti-imperialist
 Socialist/planned economy
 Weak national identity
 Serious corruption
 Anti-communist
 Anti-imperialist
 Close to the West
 Military rule
 The richest SE Asian nation
 Democratic government
 Leading country in Asia
 Received foreign loans
 Anti-Chinese policy
 Wealth disparity
 Seized power by coup
 Democratic election
 High education level
 Freedom of the press
 Racial harmony
 Military rule
 Corruption
 Further economic growth
 Political reforms
Concluding notes:

After its independence, Indonesia has strived hard for modernization and transformation.
It has made a lot of improvements politically, socio-economically and diplomatically.

Do you want to migrate to Indonesia now? Explain your answer.
Note
E.

Instead of making the conclusion by the teacher, students may use one
sentence to summarize Indonesia’s development after its independence.
Extended activity
For all learners
Using the documentary and the textbook, fill in the table.
Note

Shaded areas – information given in the documentary
8
Indonesia after Independence/Teachers’ Reference
Concept Map
(for studying the modernization and transformation of Indonesia in the 20th century)
Background
Capital city Jakarta
information
Over 17,500 islands lying between the Asian and
Geography
Australian continents
Society
The world’s most populated nation with people of a great
variety of ethnic origins
Independence
movement
Problems after
independence
Religion
Islam & others
Factors
Internal factors
Refer to textbook.
External factors
Refer to textbook.
Process
Military confrontation
Refer to textbook.
Political
Instability, military rule
Economic
Backward
Social
Wealth disparity, serious corruption, social unrests
Transformation Political
after
Economic
independence
Social
Guided democracy  military rule  democracy
Socialist planned economy  capitalist economy, rapid
economic growth  capitalist system
Poverty  anti-Chinese feelings, wealth disparity 
ethnic harmony, rising living standard
Diplomatic
Anti-western, pro-communist attitude 
anti-communist, pro-western  cooperative policy
For average students
Select one of the following aspects and discuss the problems faced by Indonesia after
independence.
(i) Political development
(ii) Socio-economic development
[Answer: Refer to “Indonesia: comparing historical figures” and textbook]
For advance learners
Was the development of Indonesia a typical example showing the modernization and
transformation of the Southeast Asian countries after their independence? Explain your answer
with relevant examples.
[Answer: Refer to “Indonesia: comparing historical figures” and textbook]
9
Indonesia after Independence/Teachers’ Reference
Appendix
Fact sheet of Indonesian Presidents (1945-2001)
Sukarno (1945-67)
Before Japanese occupation of Indonesia

Was born in 1901,

Studied civil engineering,

Knew different languages (Dutch, German, English, French,
Arabic and Japanese),

Was the leader of a pro-independence party in 1927, and

Was arrested several times by the Dutch colonial authority in
the 1920s-30s.
After Japanese occupation of Indonesia

Cooperated with the Japanese to defeat the Dutch,

Declared the independence of Indonesia after Japan’s surrender,

Became the first President of Indonesia in 1945,

Struggled against the Dutch and internal enemies for power (1945-1957),

Announced the “guided democracy”* in 1957 with increasing dependence on the
military,

Wanted to unite the Southeast Asian and African countries, formed the ASEAN,

Fell from power after the anti-communist purge led by the military and the students’
demonstration in 1966, and

Was arrested and remained under house arrest until his death in 1970.
* Guided democracy is a term for a democratic government with increased autocracy. While
following basic democratic principles there can be minor deviations towards
authoritarianism.
Suharto (1967-98)
Before independence

Was born in 1921, and

Served in Indonesian security forces during the Japanese
occupation,
After independence

Joined the Indonesian army and rose to the rank of Major General,





Led an anti-communist purge to overthrow Sukarno,
Was appointed Acting President in 1967 and President in 1968,
Was able to maintain stability and improve the socio-economic conditions of Indonesia,
Fell from power in 1998 due to people’s discontent about his dictatorship, serious
corruption and poor economic conditions after the financial turmoil in 1997, and
Died in 2008.
10
Indonesia after Independence/Teachers’ Reference
Habibie (1998-99)







Was born in 1936,
Was trained as an engineer in Germany and became a
director of a large aerospace company,
Returned to Indonesia and served as the Minister of
Technology and Research in Suharto’s cabinet (1978-98),
Was elected as Vice President in March 1998,
Replaced Suharto as the President in May 1998 and led a
transitional government,
Reformed the election system to introduce democracy, and
Withdrew from the presidential election after the rejection of his accountability speech*
by the People’s Consultative Assembly.
* The accountability speech was a report of what he had achieved during his Presidency.
Wahid (1999-2001)









Was born in 1940,
Received tertiary education in Egypt, Iraq and the
Netherlands and studied different subjects such as Islamic
and Arabic Studies,
Went to France and Germany before returning to Indonesia
in 1971,
Became a famous social commentator and a university
lecturer in the 1970s,
Joined a political party and legislative elections in the 1980s-90s,
Was elected President in 1999,
Was famous for his religious toleration and moderate politics,
Was removed in 2001 due to unproved allegations of corruption and incompetence, and
Died in 2009 due to poor health.
References:
1.
Anwar, D. (1994) Indonesia in ASEAN: foreign policy and regionalism New York: St Martin’s Press
2.
Church, P. (2003) A Short History of South-east Asia Singapore: John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd
3.
Crouch, H. (2007) The Army and Politics in Indonesia Jakarta: Equinox Publishing
4.
Temple, J. (2001) ‘Growing into trouble: Indonesia after 1966’ Discussion Paper for “Analytical Country
5.
Indonesia Pusaka: http://www.indonesia-pusaka.com/2200sukarno.htm
6.
Suharto: http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/s/_suharto/index.html
7.
Profile: President BJ Harbibie: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/events/indonesia/profiles/98092.stm
8.
Former Indonesian President Wahid dies: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8434989.stm
Studies on Growth” organized by D. Rodrik, Center for International Development, Harvard, April, 2001.
End
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