An observer of 65 years of socioeconomic change in indonesia:Egbert de Vries

Professor Egbert de Vries is one of the few former colonial civil servants who can provide first hand information about the economic situation in Indonesia during the colonial era. Having revisited the country several times in the 1960s and 1970s as a consultant to the Indonesian government, he is also in a position to furnish first hand observations about changes in socioeconomic policy and development in Indonesia over more than 65 years. This article is based on interviews with Professor De Vries conducted in 1979 and 1988, 1 1 In 1979 Professor De Vries was invited by The Ford Foundation to revisit the places in Java and North Sumatra where he had worked during the pre-war years He was interviewed about his findings by a team of researchers: John Bembridge, Budiarto, William Collier, John A. Dixon, Walter P. Falcon, Sayogyo, Rudolf Sinaga, Sri Edi Swasono, Sudhana, Thee Kian Wie, C. Peter Timmer, Sedonio Tjondronegoro and Benjamin White. In 1988 I had an interview with Professor De Vries, in which he reflected again on his lifetime experience of socio-economic change in Indonesia. This article has been compiled from both interviews. I have added textual references and footnotes which contain additional information, I would like to thank The Ford Foundation in Jakarta for permission to use the transcript of the 1979 interview and is written as if spoken by him.