Ginandjar Kartasasmita

Prof. Dr. Ir. Ginandjar Kartasasmita is an Indonesian politician. He is currently serving a five-year term (2004-2009) as head of Indonesia’s Regional Representatives Council (DPR-RI).

Background

Ginandjar attended SMP Kanisius for higher education. He associated frequently with students of other nationalities and religious backgrounds. This association fueled Ginandjar's nationalism; he expressed a desire to demonstrate the academic capabilities of Indonesian students compared to the serious and diligent Chinese students he worked with. After one year at ITB, he was awarded a scholarship to study chemical technique at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, where he studied from 1960 to 1965.

After returning home from Japan, Ginandjar worked in KOTI for one year. He worked as the General Director of AURI Research and Development, and in 1968 began his career as State Secretary.

Political career

Ginandjar has been active in politics since the 1970s, when he sat on Soeharto's cabinet. He has always called himself a nationalist, due to the influence of his parents who were both National Party of Indonesia (PNI) activists before World War II.

Ginandjar served as Minister of Mining, and Energy and State Minister of PPN/Head of Bappenas.

He has been attacked as a part of the "New Order," but argued that his membership in the cabinet is professional. Ginandjar commented, "I'm a part of the system, but I'm a professional in the cabinet."

Ginandjar finally succeed in winning the head of DPD in the Plenary Meeting of DPD in 2004. He was accompanied by Irman Gusman and La Ode Ida as the deputy chief.

Ginandjar played a role in "resigning Soeharto" when he and other ministers refused to sit in the reformation cabinet that would be formed by Soeharto. Because of the protest, Soeharto reportedly "lost interest" in holding position.

Ginandjar is currently one of the leaders of the People’s Consultative Assembly from Fraction of Regional Delegation.

Honors

* Order of Kuwait IV Class, Kuwait (1978)
* Dr. Honoris Causa from Takushoku University, Japan (1994), Northeastern University, U.S. (1994) and Gajah Mada University, Yogyakarta (1995)
* Bintang Mahaputra Adipradana (1987)

Bibliography

* "Pembangunan untuk Rakyat" ("Development for the People", 1996
* "Administrasi Pembangunan: Perkembangan Pemikiran dan Praktiknya di Indonesia"
* "Developmental Administration:Development of Its Thought and Practice in Indonesia", 1997)