Yahya Muhaimin - Works and Legacy

Works and Legacy

In 1973 his thesis was named as the best thesis by the university and was published as a book titled Perkembangan Militer dalam Politik di Indonesia 1945-1966 by Gadjah Mada University Press. Yahya claimed that it was precisely because he was married Choifah so she could help him in his thesis.

Yahya's dissertation Indonesian Economic Policy, 1950-1980: the Politics of Client Businessmen was published as a book by LP3ES (Lembaga Penelitian Pendidikan dan Penerangan Ekonomi dan Sosial) and was renamed Bisnis dan Politik, Kebijakan Ekonomi Indonesia 1950-1980. It was printed for 5,000 copies; three months later it was reprinted for 20,000 copies. He wrote on his dissertation that Indonesia in 1950-1980, although used different political system—Parliamentary Democracy, Guided Democracy, and New Order—the results remained the same. Tempo magazine, on 11 May 1991, wrote "this is an outstanding achievement that have ever been accomplished in history of scientific books in Indonesia", while on 18 May Sofian Effendi, writing for Editor, stated that it was "the best seller book". On 24 May 1991, however, Probosutedjo, a businessman who is also Soeharto's brother-in-law, sued the book because he felt maligned. He also demanded an apology from Yahya and withdrawal the book from circulation. Yahya accepted the sue, although he was supported and was suggested to sue Probosutedjo back by academics and lawyers such as Sofian Effendi (Gadjah Mada's chancellor at that time), Lucian W. Pye (Yahya's supervisor at MIT), Nono Anwar Makarim (legal adviser), and Todung Mulya Lubis (expert lawyer). One year later, Ismet Fanani claimed that the book was a copy of Richard Robson's Capitalism and the Bureaucratic State in Indonesia, 1965-1975. However, Daniel Dhakidae, a Cornell graduate researcher writing for Kompas 22 November 1992 edition, states that both books are different.