The Most Influential Persons from 7 Presidents of Indonesia

Indonesia is a republic country where the president becomes the highest leadership in the government system.  Indonesia using the election system based on the democracy to choose both of the president and vice president.

The election day for the president and vice president happens every five years at once. This belongs to the length of service of the chosen president where they only can lead for 5 years with the twice of maximum length of service.

Since Indonesia declares independence on August 17, 1945, until now, seven presidents lead Indonesia. Here we have the list for you in case you forgot them. Now, check them out!

1. Soekarno

Soekarno becomes the first Indonesian president with Mohammad Hatta as the vice president. Soekarno becomes the most influencer man for Indonesian whether before independence until now.

Not only becomes a proclaimer, but Soekarno also the one who has the idea about the foundation of the state which now calls as Pancasila. He also becomes the person that pioneering the history of the Asian African Conference in Bandung in 1955.

Soekarno leads Indonesia from August 18, 1945 – March 12, 1967. In more than 22 years of the length of service, he makes Indonesia has a great fundamental law based on Pancasila and UUD 45.

2. Soeharto

Soeharto becomes the second Indonesian president with the longest length of service with over 30 years since March 1967 – Mei 1998. He leads Indonesia with the six vice presidents from time to time. The first his vice president is Hamengku Buwana IX as Yogyakarta’s sultan in the period of 1973 – 1978.

After that, the vice president changes periodically within 5 years. They are Adam Malik, Umar Wirahadikusumah, Soedharmono, Try Sutrisno, B. J. Habibie. Along their leadership with Soeharto from time to time makes Indonesia becomes the developing country that capable to compete with other countries.

Soeharto becomes the most memorable president with the biggest changes in Indonesian history that calls as the changes of Orde Lama and Orde Baru. These systems bring the most challenging moment to Indonesia at that time.

3. B J Habibie

If Soeharto becomes the longest Indonesian president so that Habibie becomes the opposite of him. He leads Indonesia in the shortest periodic within Mei 1998 – October 1999. He even doesn’t have the vice president like other presidents before.

Habibie become the most visioner president that time which his vision to make Indonesia as an agricultural country can jump directly into an Industrial country with mastery of science and technology.

During the short reign from Habibie, he succeeded in providing a solid foundation for Indonesia. During which the Anti-Monopoly Law or the Fair Competition Law was born, he changes it to the Law on Political Parties.

The best decision from Habibie to Indonesia becomes so important in the Regional Autonomy Law. It was through the application of the regional autonomy law that the disintegration turmoil inherited from the Orde Lama era was successfully suppressed.

4. Abdurrahman Wahid

Abdurrahman Wahid becomes the fourth Indonesian president with his vice president Megawati Soekarnoputri in 1999 – 2001. During the reign, Wahid becomes the most influential in defending the Confucian community in Indonesia in obtaining their rights which were confined during the Orde Baru era.

Wahid made that Confucian is part of the Indonesian tribe legally and adding their religion as a newly legal religion in Indonesia outside Islam, Chris, Catholic, Buddhis, and Hindus.

5. Megawati

Megawati becomes Indonesia’s first female president in Indonesian history. She reigns the government with Hamzah Haz as her vice president. During her reign in 2001 – 2004, she Established the KPK Corruption Eradication Agency in 2003.

On the other hand, Megawati also brought Indonesia out of the IMF in 2003, which indicated that Indonesia had emerged from the 1998 crisis and make more independent Indonesia. She dares to stop the new debt (Zero debt or no borrowing during his leadership). It makes a good effect on the history and development of the Indonesian rupiah at that time.

6. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

SBY becomes the sixth Indonesian president twice the period of 2004 – 2009 and 2009 – 2014. He leads the Indonesian governance with Jusuf Kalla and Boediono as his vice president in these two periods which makes some changes in the Indonesia military power into the good one.

During SBY’s reign, he successfully pushed the economy to grow by an average of 5-6%. Although still dominated by the non-tradable sector. Besides, he also succeeds in the open unemployment rate decreased and formal workers increased from 29.38% to 39.9%. Sixth, the Human Development Index (HDI) increased from 68.7 to 73.45 to help poverty in Indonesia.

7. Joko Widodo

Jokowi becomes the seventh Indonesian president from 2014 until now. He leads the reign with the Jusuf Kalla in 2014 – 2019 and Ma’ruf Amin as his vice presidents until now. He becomes the most popular man in Indonesia with his actions in so many positive aspects.

During Jokowi’s first period reign, poverty reduction in the Jokowi administration for the first time in Indonesian history reached a single digit, namely 9.82 percent in 2018. Besides, he committed to maintaining the education budget in the 2019 State Budget at 20 percent of the APBN, which is IDR 492.5 trillion so that the Indonesian Human Education Index will increase.

On the other hand, Jokowi also make the area of ​​forest and land fires decreased by 92.5%, while the number of hotspots decreased by 88.5%. He also succeeded in increased the tax ratio which quite rapidly rises to 11.56 percent of GDP in 2018, up from 10.66 percent in the previous year.

So, there is some glance about the list presidents of Indonesia from time to time until the present. Have you ever wonder to become one of them?