Radius Prawiro

Radius Prawiro was an Indonesian economist and politician who held several important positions in the Indonesian government, especially in the field of economics. He was a member of the President's Economic Experts Team, the Chairman of the Governing Board of the World Bank, and the first Governor of Bank Indonesia during the New Order era. He also served as the Minister of Trade, the Minister of Finance, and the Coordinating Minister of Economics, Finance, and Industry. He was known for his economic policies and reforms that contributed to the development and stability of Indonesia. He was also a devout Christian who lived by the principles of honesty, integrity, and service. Radius Prawiro was born on 29 June 1928 in Yogyakarta, the son of a teacher named Suradi Prawiro. He attended school in Yogyakarta and became a cigarette vendor when he was still in middle school. He continued his education in the Netherlands Economic School in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He returned to Indonesia and completed a doctorate at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta. His economic and political career began as the Secretary of the People's Security Committee in Yogyakarta in 1945 and continued as the TRI Liaison Officer in Yogyakarta from 1947 to 1948. He was on the staff of the Military Governor of Yogyakarta from 1945 to 1951 and worked as a Technical Officer in the National Accounting Office from 1960 to 1965. He then held the position of Deputy Minister for the National Audit Office of Indonesia (1965), Deputy Minister for the central bank (1965), Governor of the National Bank of Indonesia (1966), Governor of Bank Indonesia (1966–1973), and served concurrently as Governor of the International Monetary Fund and the Vice-Governor of the Asian Development Bank for Indonesia from 1967 to 1971. He became a member of the President's Economic Experts Team, and served as Head of the Governing Board of the World Bank (1971–1973). He was then appointed Minister of Trade in both the Second Development Cabinet and the Third Development Cabinet (1973–1983), Finance Minister in the Fourth Development Cabinet (1983–1988) and was Coordinating Minister of the Economics, Finance and Industry and Development Supervisory Board from 1993. Radius Prawiro was married to Leonie Supit and had 25 children. He was a faithful follower of Jesus Christ and was active in various Christian organizations. He was also a generous donor to many social and humanitarian causes. He died on 26 May 2005 in Munich, Germany, due to heart failure. He was buried in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.