Club Online Zoom Event – The Many Contradictions of Indonesia’s President Widodo: Book Event with Ben Bland

Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, is largely unknown and under-covered in the international media. While it’s the largest Muslim-majority country, it is also a secular state with a vibrant democracy. Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, known as “Jokowi,” in many ways encapsulates the myriad contradictions of the vast archipelagic nation he leads. A former furniture-maker from humble beginnings, Widodo came to embody the hopes of Indonesians hungry for change, but in office he has displayed an authoritarian streak. Elected on a promise to clean up corruption and nepotism, he has made compromises with political enemies of the old order. Ben Bland will discuss his book on Widodo and what the world might make of this man of contradictions. Moderated by Keith Richburg, an FCC Correspondent Governor.

Ben Bland is director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute, an international policy think tank based in Sydney. He is the author of Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia, the first English-language political biography of the president. Bland was previously an award-winning correspondent for the Financial Times in Indonesia, China and Vietnam. His first book, Generation HK: Seeking Identity in China’s Shadow, was acclaimed for its insights into young people and the protest movement in Hong Kong. He studied at the University of Cambridge and the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.