The Activist from Tanah Abang

The political tumult of 1965 changed the direction of Jusuf Wanandi’s life 180 degrees. From a professor of law, he became a political activist, and even had to forego the opportunity of attending Harvard University in the United States.

Jusuf was a ringside spectator to the end of President Sukarno’s reign, and was personally involved in the political upheavals and student demonstrations that led to Sukarno’s fall from power. Together with like-minded individuals, he encouraged General Suharto to become leader of the New Order. He was a close friend of Major-General Ali Moertopo, a Special Operations officer who was greatly trusted by Suharto.

The wheels of history never stop turning, and during the Malari incident, or the tragedy of January 15, 1974 it was the turn of Jusuf—and his colleagues at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), headquartered in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta—to be the targets of student criticism and protests. Even his relations with Suharto were not always smooth, and from 1987 he began to diverge from the man he had previously supported so firmly.

Next month, Jusuf, born in Sawahlunto, West Sumatra, will turn 73. Two weeks ago, he related his life story, so intimately entwined with contemporary Indonesian history, to Tempo’s Nugroho Dewanto, Ign. Yophiandi and Ninin Damayanti.