President Suharto Name Mohamad Sadli Role Economist | President Suharto Succeeded by Subroto Profession Economist | |
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Preceded by Mursalin Daeng Mamangung Born June 10, 1922
Sumedang, West Java, Dutch West Indies ( 1922-06-10 ) Alma mater Harvard University
University of Indonesia
University of California, Berkeley
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Gadjah Mada University Died January 8, 2008, Jakarta, Indonesia Books Coping with the Recession in Asean: The Case of Indonesia, Asian Experience in Trade and Industrial Reform Education University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University | ||
Preceded by Sumantri Brodjonegoro | ||
Mohammad Sadli (10 June 1922 – 8 January 2008) was a leading Indonesian policy-maker and economist.
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Sadli, as he was widely known as, was born in Sumedang, West Java. He first studied in the Hollandsch-Inlandsche School (HIS) in Sumedang and Subang, and later moved to the Hogere Burger School (HBS) in Semarang in Central Java. He then (1952) took university studies in the Technical Faculty, Gadjah Mada University, in Yogyakarta.
Between 1954 and 1956, Sadli worked towards his Master of Science in economics at MIT in the United States before proceeding to post-graduate studies in economics at the University of California, Berkeley in 1956. He returned to Indonesia in 1957 where he became Director of the Economics and Management Institute (LPEM) at the University of Indonesia.
Career in government
Sadli worked at the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and was a key economic adviser in the New Order government. He was one of five prominent economic advisers who became known as the Berkeley Mafia during the Soeharto era working closely with Professor Widjojo Nitisastro. In 1967 he was appointed by Suharto as the first chair of the Indonesian Investment Coordination Board. Between 1971-73 he served as Minister for Manpower and then in 1973-78 he was Minister for Mines in the Second Development Cabinet.
After retirement
After his retirement as a minister in 1978, Sadli became widely regarded as one of the most senior policy-oriented economists in Indonesia. He remained a key adviser to Soeharto, he fostered his many links in business circles, and he became an active economic journalist. As an economic commentator Sadli made important contributions to public policy discussion in Indonesia throughout the 1980s and 1990s and until the time of his death. Because he was so well known and respected he could chide or praise almost anybody in public life at will, and he often did so with gentle good humour in the numerous columns that he wrote for the Indonesian publication Business News and other Indonesian publications. He was one of the first senior figures in Indonesia to become openly critical of the Soeharto regime. The most consistent theme in his public commentary was the need for good economic policy.
Sadli took a close interest in international economic affairs as well. He often participated in seminars and conferences about economic affairs in meetings in Asia. He was appointed several times, in 1981 and again in 1987, as an expert member of international panels to undertake strategic reviews of the role of the Asian Development Bank in Asia.
Sadli died quietly at the home where he had lived for many years in the suburb of Kebayoran in South Jakarta on 8 January 2008. He is survived by his wife, Professor Saparinah Sadli, who is a leading figure in Indonesia for her work in the fields of psychology and women's rights.
Sadli lecture
In recognition of his contribution to the discussion of economic policy-making in Indonesia, an annual Sadli Lecture is held in Jakarta. The Sadli Lecture is sponsored jointly by the Institute of Economic and Social Research from the University of Indonesia and the Indonesia Project at the Australian National University in Canberra.