The Technological State in Indonesia: The Co-constitution of High Technology and Authoritarian Politics

209 Pages·2012·4.132 MB·English

by  Sulfikar Amir

The Technological State in Indonesia
Using a historical sociological approach, this book illustrates the formation of
the technological state in Indonesia during the New Order period (1966–98). It
explores the nexus between power, high technology, development, and author­
itarianism situated in the Southeast Asian context.
The book discusses how the New Order regime shifted from the develop­
mental state to the technological state, which was characterized by a desire for
technological supremacy. The process resulted in the establishment of a host of
technological institutions and the undertaking of large­ scale high­ tech programs.
Shedding light on the political dimension of socio­ technological transformation,
this book looks at the relationship between authoritarian politics and high tech­
nology development, and examines how effectively technology serves to sustain
legitimacy of an authoritarian power.
It explores the multiple features of the Indonesian technological state, cover­
ing the ideology of development, the politics of technocracy, the institutional
structure, and the material and symbolic embodiments of high technology, and
goes on to discuss the impact of globalization on the technological state. The
book is an important contribution to studies on Southeast Asian Politics, Devel­
opment, and Science, Technology, and Society.
Sulfikar Amir is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Sociology at Nanyang
Technological University, Singapore. His research interests include science and
technology studies, technological politics, development, nationalism, globaliza­
tion, the sociology of risk, and resilience studies.
Routledge contemporary Southeast Asia series
1 Land Tenure, Conservation and 8 Revolution, Reform and
Development in Southeast Asia Regionalism in Southeast Asia
Peter Eaton Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam
Ronald Bruce St John
2 The Politics of
Indonesia–Malaysia Relations
9 The Politics of Tyranny in
One kin, two nations
Singapore and Burma
Joseph Chinyong Liow
Aristotle and the rhetoric of
benevolent despotism
3 Governance and Civil Society in
Stephen McCarthy
Myanmar
Education, health and environment
Helen James 10 Ageing in Singapore
Service needs and the state
4 Regionalism in Post- Suharto Peggy Teo, Kalyani Mehta,
Indonesia Leng Leng Thang and
Edited by Maribeth Erb, Angelique Chan
Priyambudi Sulistiyanto and
Carole Faucher 11 Security and Sustainable
Development in Myanmar
5 Living with Transition in Laos Helen James
Market integration in Southeast
Asia
12 Expressions of Cambodia
Jonathan Rigg
The politics of tradition, identity
and change
6 Christianity, Islam and
Edited by Leakthina
Nationalism in Indonesia
Chau- Pech Ollier and
Charles E. Farhadian
Tim Winter
7 Violent Conflicts in Indonesia
Analysis, representation, 13 Financial Fragility and
resolution Instability in Indonesia
Edited by Charles A. Coppel Yasuyuki Matsumoto
14 The Revival of Tradition in 23 Rebellion and Reform in
Indonesian Politics Indonesia
The deployment of adat from Jakarta’s security and autonomy
colonialism to indigenism polices in Aceh
Edited by Jamie S. Davidson and Michelle Ann Miller
David Henley
24 Hadrami Arabs in Present- day
15 Communal Violence and Indonesia
Democratization in Indonesia An Indonesia­ oriented group with
Small town wars an Arab signature
Gerry van Klinken Frode F. Jacobsen
16 Singapore in the Global System 25 Vietnam’s Political Process
Relationship, structure and change How education shapes political
Peter Preston decision making
Casey Lucius
17 Chinese Big Business in
Indonesia 26 Muslims in Singapore
The state of the capital Piety, politics and policies
Christian Chua Kamaludeen Mohamed Nasir,
Alexius A. Pereira and
18 Ethno- religious Violence in Bryan S. Turner
Indonesia
From soil to God 27 Timor Leste
Chris Wilson Politics, history and culture
Andrea Katalin Molnar
19 Ethnic Politics in Burma
States of conflict 28 Gender and Transitional Justice
Ashley South The women of East Timor
Susan Harris Rimmer
20 Democratization in Post-
Suharto Indonesia 29 Environmental Cooperation in
Edited by Marco Bünte and Southeast Asia
Andreas Ufen ASEAN’s regime for
trans­ boundary haze pollution
21 Party Politics and Paruedee Nguitragool
Democratization in Indonesia
Golkar in the post­S uharto era 30 The Theatre and the State in
Dirk Tomsa Singapore
Terence Chong
22 Community, Environment and
Local Governance in Indonesia 31 Ending Forced Labour in
Locating the Commonwealth Myanmar
Edited by Carol Warren and Engaging a pariah regime
John F. McCarthy Richard Horsey
32 Security, Development and 40 Corruption and Law in
Nation-B uilding in Timor- Leste Indonesia
A cross­ sectoral assessment The unravelling of Indonesia’s
Edited by Vandra Harris and anti­ corruption framework through
Andrew Goldsmith law and legal process
Simon Butt
33 The Politics of Religion in
Indonesia
41 Men and Masculinities in
Syncretism, orthodoxy, and
Southeast Asia
religious contention in Java and
Edited by Michele Ford and
Bali
Lenore Lyons
Edited by Michel Picard and
Remy Madinier
42 Justice and Governance in East
Timor
34 Singapore’s Ageing Population
Indigenous approaches and the
Managing healthcare and end of
‘New Subsistence State’
life decisions
Rod Nixon
Edited by Wing-C heong Chan
35 Changing Marriage Patterns in 43 Population Policy and
Southeast Asia Reproduction in Singapore
Economic and socio­c ultural Making future citizens
dimensions Shirley Hsiao- Li Sun
Edited by Gavin W. Jones,
Terence H. Hull and 44 Labour Migration and Human
Maznah Mohamad Trafficking
Critical perspectives from
36 The Political Resurgence of the Southeast Asia
Military in Southeast Asia Michele Ford, Lenore Lyons and
Conflict and leadership Willem van Schendel
Edited by Marcus Mietzner
45 Singapore Malays
37 Neoliberal Morality in Singapore
Being ethnic minority and Muslim
How family policies make state
in a global city­s tate
and society
Hussin Mutalib
Youyenn Teo
38 Local Politics in Indonesia 46 Political Change and
Pathways to power Territoriality in Indonesia
Nankyung Choi Provincial proliferation
Ehito Kimura
39 Separatist Conflict in Indonesia
The long­ distance politics of the 47 Southeast Asia and the Cold
Acehnese diaspora War
Antje Missbach Edited by Albert Lau
48 Legal Pluralism in Indonesia 52 Chinese Indonesians Reassessed
Bridging the unbridgeable History, religion and belonging
Ratno Lukito Edited by Siew-M in Sai and
Chang- Yau Hoon
49 Building a People-O riented
Security Community the 53 Journalism and Conflict in
ASEAN way Indonesia
Alan Collins From reporting violence to
promoting peace
50 Parties and Parliaments in Steve Sharp
Southeast Asia
Non­ partisan chambers in 54 The Technological State in
Indonesia, the Philippines and Indonesia
Thailand The co­ constitution of high
Roland Rich technology and authoritarian
politics
51 Social Activism in Southeast Sulfikar Amir
Asia
Edited by Michele Ford

The Technological State in
Indonesia
The co­ constitution of high technology and
authoritarian politics
Sulfikar Amir
First published 2013
by Routledge
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© 2013 Sulfikar Amir
The right of Sulfikar Amir to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Amir, Sulfikar.
The technological state in Indonesia: the co­ constitution of high
technology and authoritarian politics/Sulfikar Amir.
p. cm. – (Routledge contemporary Southeast Asia series; 54)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Indonesia–Politics and government–1966–1998. 2. Authoritarianism–
Indonesia. 3. Technology and state–Indonesia. 4. High technology–
Government policy–Indonesia. 5. Technocracy. I. Title. II. Series:
Routledge contemporary Southeast Asia series; 54.
DS644.4.A52 2012
959.803′7–dc23
2012016492
ISBN: 978­0­415­67069­2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978­0­203­08412­0 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
For my father who taught me the meaning of learning and my
mother for her endless prayers.