A Note about Names

A note on the use of names is in order. In Indonesian, there is no standard for the use of names, especially as far as the identification of the “main” name is concerned. In many cases, usage even changes over time. In the late 1990s, for instance, it was common to refer to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as Bambang, but as he rose to more political prominence, he’d be more often referred to as Yudhoyono, no doubt partly because of the influence of the international press. (He also created a catchy acronym for his campaigns—SBY—that is widely used). This leaves a lot of room for subjectivity in the use of names, and this book is no exception. It follows a personal feeling of what is most useful rather than what is most systematic. For instance, it refers to “Megawati” rather than “Sukarnoputri”, but to “Wahid” instead of “Abdurrahman”. Some readers may find this dissatisfying, but this is an area in which trying to achieve conformity would do more harm than good.