Professor Gordon Flake Interviews Ben Bland

Professor Gordon Flake recently spoke with Ben Bland, Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute to discuss Joko Widodo’s rapid rise from mayor of Solo to President of Indonesia, as well as about his new book, “Man of Contradictions: Joko Widodo and the Struggle to Remake Indonesia”. Their conversation focussed on the leadership style of Joko Widodo, the broader implications of Widodo’s recent Cabinet reshuffle, Indonesia’s response to COVID, the differences between youth activism in Indonesia and Hong Kong, and the challenges that lie ahead of the world’s third largest democracy.