Kuntoro Mangkusubroto
Scholar, Activist and Bureaucrat

The year 2015 will go down as the year of consolidation, when President Joko Widodo must find his way through the intricate political web he inherited from the previous administration before he can actually begin the job of governing the nation. This is why to many observers, Indonesia seems to fit the description of 'a nation in waiting'. Just how long the waiting is expected to last is anyone's guess but it seems that one year is not enough. The uncertainty, Kuntoro Mangkusubrotoscholar, a former bureaucrat and activistsaid, is likely to carry into the next year when the government feels confident enough to settle down and do the serious job of governing.

Kuntoro has often been called 'a man for all seasons' for his rich and varied background as an academic, a cabinet minister, a successful administrator of billions of dollars worth of post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction program and, lately, as a government watchdog and campaigner for transparency and open government. It's no wonder he is much sought after for his views on a variety of issues and topics. We at Tempo English seek him out at every end of the year for his assessment of the state of the nation and his vision for the future. Last week, he shared his worldview with Yuli Ismartono and Amanda Siddharta. Excerpts:

December 29, 2015