From Gary Hawke, former chair of NZPECC (via ERIA)

Hidetoshi Nishimura,

Many thanks for your prompt advice. I have now also heard from PAFTAD and am sure that PECC will also be aware of our loss, as will many other organisations, institutions and individuals who were touched by Hadi’s intellect, leadership and humanity.

One of the most significant processes of my lifetime has been the growth in influence of Asia, and Hadi has been at the centre of my experience of it.

His name figured in the first meeting of NZPECC which I attended in 1987, and from the time I met him soon afterwards, it was easy to see why. He was a great representative of Indonesia, of ASEAN, of Asia and of humanity.

In recent years, it was a great honour and pleasure to join with Hadi in contributing to the growth of ERIA, especially in the Academic Advisory Council and the Regional Institutes Network. We know Hadi’s vision for the role of ERIA, and it will continue to guide our efforts in the future.

With deepest sympathy for Hadi’s family and close friends, and with gratitude for the enormous benefit of having known Hadi.

Gary Hawke

From Frank Holmes (via PAFTAD)

Dear Luke

I would like to be associated with the PAFTAD tributes to Hadi and with the expressions of sympathy to his wife and family.

He has made a wonderful contribution to developing Track Two activities and political cooperation in ASEAN and in the whole Asia Pacific region, and as a respected adviser to governments and international organisations. I have admired his skill as a teacher and researcher, and the notable work he has done in developing CSIS in Indonesia into such a respected institution.

His personal demeanour has won him many friends throughout the world, including the New Zealanders like myself who have been fortunate enough to work with him and enjoy his company.

He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.

Frank Holmes

From Soogil Young (via PECC)

Dr. Jusuf Wanandi
Chairman
Indonesian National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation
Jakarta, Indonesia

Dear Jusuf,

I am overwhelmed by a profound emotion of sadness to hear the terrible news that Hadi passed away this morning.

I have known Hadi since I first met him in Bali, in 1983, at a PECC General Meeting hosted by INCPEC, and through our close association of nearly 3 decades since then, to me, he always has been an inspiring visionary on Pacific economic community, as well as a personal friend, and in fact, a very close brother, who has always touched me with genuine warmth, humility and friendship. At the level of the Asia-Pacific community, with his long series of intellectual contributions, passionate advocacy of Pacific economic cooperation, and many creative solutions on the way forward, Hadi has been a major driver of our PECC movement, as well as an intellectual beacon for the rest of us, his PECC colleagues.

I will personally miss him till my own time comes. I believe that we, of PECC, should find solace in the rich, inspiring work on Pacific economic cooperation Hadi has left with us, and be resolved to carry forward the work he has thus helped bring this far toward the eventual goal for which PECC was launched in the early 1980s.

I regret that, tied up by existing commitments, I am not able to travel to attend the funeral for Hadi. Please, accept my sincerest condolences for the loss of Hadi, and also kindly pass them to Mrs. Hadi. My colleagues at KOPEC join me in this expression of sorrow as well as a profound sense of loss.

Best regards,

Soogil Young
Chairman
KOPEC

From Jesus Estanislao (via PECC)

Hadi was a great friend and a well-respected economist, whose views I always sought and who never failed to inspire me.

I will always treasure his quiet charm and genuine warmth, through which a great intelligence filtered through in the discussion of issues covering a broad range of concerns. His grasp was amazing, but his humanity more amazing still.

Hadi will be sorely missed not only in Indonesia, in ASEAN, and in the broader Asia Pacific region. Along with the rise of Indonesia, his influence has increasingly gone global. His passing is a loss to his many friends who have come to admire him and hold him very dear. The loss extends to a much broader range because the appreciation for his work has transcended the bounds of only one region, big as it may be.

As I condole with his immediate family and close circle of colleagues and friends in Jakarta, I know that they have the assurance that Hadi’s life and work have gained him eternal bliss.

From Narongchai Akrasanee (via PECC)

Hadi is like a member of my family, a very close one. Losing Hadi is like losing someone so dear to me. Also in our Asia-Pacific Circle we have lost someone who has been one of the greatest contributors to the development of our area. I will really, really miss you.

From Fidel Duque, General Director, COLPECC; Olga Bula, Director, Asia, Africa And Oceania Bureau; and Esteban Restrepo, Advisor, Asia, Africa and Oceania Bureau (via PECC)

Hadi was a prominent figure and an inspiration for all of us, who shared his belief in East Asia and Asia Pacific regionalism. We have lost a good friend. We will always be very grateful for his encouragement and support for the involvement of COLPECC in PECC activities and projects. He will be missed

From Andrew Elek (via PECC)

I am grieving for Hadi.

To me he was an intellectual hero, a close friend, ever-helpful mentor, colleague and co-author.

He has done more for the world than almost anyone we can think of in the fields of economics, human rights and security, to mention just some of his many contributions.

We shall always remember him with a grateful smile in our hearts.

All those associated with the Australian APEC Study Centre at RMIT University in Melbourne mourn the passing of Hadi Soesastro. We enjoyed his company and his wit and forthrightness, we respected his vision and his ideas for an open and progressive region and admired his great contribution to building a tolerant and prosperous Asian community.
We send our deepest condolences to his wife and children.

Ken Waller

From Robert Scollay (NZPECC)
Hadi touched the lives and work of so many people at so many different levels, and all of us will be feeling a profound sense of loss and sorrow at his passing. Together with my wife Narelle I would like to join with so many others in extending deepest sympathy to Hadi’s family and close friends.
Hadi was a rare combination of powerful intellect and warm and generous spirit. I have always been awestruck by the breadth and depth of his contributions to cooperation in our region and by the clarity of vision that they embodied. He exerted leadership through the intellectual force of his ideas and vision, through his quiet energy, and through the wise advice and guidance and the friendly support that he offered to all of us whenever we were associated with him in one or other of his many activities. One of my most abiding memories of Hadi will be of the grace, courtesy and dignity with which he always conducted himself. I know that my life has been richer for having known and worked with Hadi.
Rest in peace, Hadi.
Rob

Hadi will be sorely missed. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.

Chandra Das

To: PECC Standing Committee, PAFTAD Steering Committee

From: David Hong, Vice Chairman, CTPECC

Date: 5th May 2010

Dear PECC Colleagues,

I was very sad to hear about Hadi’s passing away. I had the greatest respect for Hadi and will miss working with him in both PECC and PAFTAD. Without a doubt, Hadi was one of the most respected scholars who had fully dedicated himself to pursue the goal of regional integration.

The loss of Hadi is irreplaceable. Please pass my deepest sympathies to his family.

Very Sincerely,

David Hong
Vice Chairman
CTPECC

From LIM Chong Yah (via PECC)

Dr. Jusuf Wanandi
Chairman
Indonesian National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation
Jakarta, Indonesia

Dear Jusuf

Dr Hadi Soesastro was one of the founders of PECC. I had the good fortune of serving with him for a good number of years on the International Steering Committee of PECC. He is a great son of Indonesia and a great Southeast Asian intellectual. He spoke in the most impressive, most lucid and most persuasive English supporting and accelerating the cause of Southeast Asian development, particularly that of the Indonesia. Indonesia has lost a brilliant Indonesian economist and diplomat and I, a dear friend. I will treasure his friendship on earth till my turn comes to say “good-bye”. May the Good Lord continue to uphold and cherish him in heaven, as He did on earth. I am still taking on the shock of his untimely departure from earth.

LIM Chong Yah
Albert Winsemius Chair Professor of Economics, NTU

From: David Katz (via PECC)

I am deeply saddened to hear of Hadi’s passing. From my earliest days as the USTR staffer responsible for U.S.-Indonesia bilateral relations I relied on Pak Hadi to provide me with perspective and counsel on what would be possible and constructive in advancing bilateral ties. He was a great proponent of sound economics and trade policy, and at the same time one of those quiet, unsung heroes of Indonesia who could both defend and constructively criticize his country for foreign and domestic audiences. He leaves a great void among those who think deeply for and about Indonesia and the broader Asia Pacific community. Others may step in, but that void will never really be completely filled.

Sincerely,

David Katz

From Jacques Gravereau (former FPTPEC Chair)

Dear Eduardo,

I trust you can pass the message to my Indonesian friends and to Pak Hadi’s family on how sad we all feel here about Hadi.

I have deeply appreciated along all these years of common endeavours at the PECC both his intellectual wisdom and his personal friendlyness, allways enthusiastic for new challenges and commitments.

We’ll keep the memory of an outstanding colleague and a perfect friend.

Sincerely yours. Jacques GRAVEREAU

From Sherry Stephenson, PECC Trade Group and Organization of American States

The loss of Hadi Soesastro is such a blow both to me and to all of us in the entire PECC community. I learned the very sad news of Hadi’s passing yesterday and wanted to join my voice to others in saying how terribly sorry I feel that Hadi left us much too soon. It is so difficult to put all of the feelings into words as Hadi was such a vibrant part of our intellectual and personal gatherings for so many years; his presence was a mainstay of our meetings, and his contributions to our discussions were always significant and far-sighted. I remember him as always cheerful, always constructive, unwavering in his commitment to his principles and to the improvement of Indonesia and the greater Asia Pacific region - a person with incredible intellectual curiosity and honesty who did not settle for simple truths. He brought a critical eye and strong insights to issues, but did so with humor and humility and in such a way that everyone listened. He was also tremendously supportive of the efforts of those around him.

During my brief stay as a researcher as CSIS in Jakarta, I remember him ably guiding the work of the Institute, yet eating lunch and conversing with the staff and researchers His door was always open. Hadi was an inspirational figure and I will miss him very much.

From Chia Siow Yue (via PECC)

I am truly sad to know of the passing of Pak Hadi. I knew he had cancer since 2006 but was hopeful that he had remission.

I have known Hadi for some 30 years and we met regularly several times a year in various networks — ASEAN, PECC, EADN, PAFTAD, APEC, ADB, ADBI, AEPR etc. He was a leading thinker and economist of Indonesia and Southeast Asia and a prolific author and speaker on the economics of ASEAN, East Asia and the Asia Pacific. Above all, he was a
gentleman scholar, full of integrity, wit, eloquence, kindness, grace and warmth.

Indonesia has lost a great son. And I have lost a close personal friend in ASEAN. My prayers and condolences go to his beloved wife Yanti and his two sons.

Chia Siow Yue
Singapore

It’s a sad occasion.
From: Gary Hufbauer, Peterson Institute for International Economics (via PECC)

I first encountered Hadi around 1995 when a consulting assignment took me to Jakarta, and Hadi was good enough to offer me a second berth at CSIS, so I could mix scholarship with policy. This was typical of his warm spirit. During my days at CSIS, I was awed by Hadi’s unlimited energy, keeping three secretaries busy, organizing conferences in Jakarta and abroad, bringing keen insights to the many projects underway at CSIS, and befriending the entire staff, even the most junior. Over the 15 years since that first encounter, our paths often crossed, in Jakarta, Washington, Singapore and other cosmopolitan centers. Hadi had an exceptional ability to advance liberal economic policies in the shifting and sometimes difficult political context of his times. With this and other skills, Hadi made tremendous contributions to his country and to the world. He is sorely missed.

From Wong Marn Heong (via PECC)

The passing of Pak Hadi is a huge loss for PECC and the Asia Pacific community, but his intellectual legacy will live on. I will always remember him as a respected elder with a gentle smile and a ready hug. My deepest condolences to Pak Hadi’s family.

Wong Marn Heong
Singapore

From: Peter Meyer (via PECC)

Jane, dear colleagues and friends,

When I checked yesterday, the information received, was that Pak Hadi continued to be in a coma. For that matter, I am grateful for Jane’s message and comments which, as sad as they are, now provide the closing thoughts for the life of a truly great man, an exceptional professional and a wonderful human being.

Pak Hadi worked relentlessly to make our environment a better place, and to give Indonesia, and his fellow Indonesians, the tools necessary, to join a world of best practices and to aspire to the highest possible international standards of professionalism. He truly was a gentleman and a scholar, a man who, in spite of all his hard work and commitment, has now left us far too early and with so many more issues, which he was pursuing until the very end, still unresolved. He will be even more missed when, down the road, it sinks in how very few individuals there are, of his caliber. What a loss to all of us!

We are remembering him as a patient listener, a wise counselor and an enthusiastic fighter for change, where change is due. Pak Hadi, rest in peace!

To Pak Hadi’s family, our most heart felt condolences. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Deeply saddened, on behalf of our entire management and staff,

Peter Meyer
President Commissioner
CHARTIS Indonesia

From Ippei Yamazawa (via PECC)

Dear Mrs. Janti Soesastro and Children,

Please accept my deep condolence for the pass-away of your beloved husband and father.

I have worked together with Hadi on PECC, PAFTAD, and APEC since the 1980s and I met your people on Batam Island when Hadi and Mari Pangestu organized a PECC conference there in the early 1990s. More recently, I visited him in Jakarta in August 2008 when we had a lunch together in his CSIS office and he kindly arranged my interview with ASEAN Secretariat. Last year we worked together on ADB’s IFR Study project and I met him almost every month between May and October but only missed him in December in Shanghai and Tokyo. He literally devoted his wisdom and energy to the success of Asia Pacific Community.

Regards,

Ippei Yamazawa

From John Conroy, Foundation for Development Cooperation, Australia

I had the good fortune to visit Pak Hadi occasionally at CSIS over some 25 years and always found there a warm welcome and sound advice. Hadi was a genuinely cross-cultural person, capable of drawing together the threads of complex situations and interpreting them for a diverse set of colleagues, whether in his own society or in ASEAN, PECC or APEC. He was a committed internationalist as well as a patriotic Indonesian. I am sure his gift for communication and his wise counsel will be greatly missed within PECC.

Rest in Peace, Pak Hadi

From Dr Tan Khee Giap, Chair of SINCPEC (via PECC)

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr Hadi Soesastro for the first time at the PECC Conference held in Singapore last year. During the conference, Dr Soesastro only served to reinforce himself as a prominent and well-respected economist in Indonesia. From my conversations with him, he struck me as an eloquent speaker with an effable personality. His passing is a great loss to PECC and Indonesia, and his contributions and the effect he had on people he met will live on.

With deepest condolences,

Tan Khee Giap
Associate Professor
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (National University of Singapore)

Dear PECC Colleagues,

I was saddened upon learning that Dr. Hadi Soesastro, Executive Director of INCPEC, one of our greatest friends, passed away. As a dedicated member of PECC and advocate of regional integration, Hadi had contributed greatly to the cause of Asia-Pacific regionalism. His passing away is a tremendous loss to us all.

On behalf of CTPECC, I wish to express my condolence to the family and friends of Hadi. He will be remembered forever.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Koo
Chair, CTPECC

From Kerrin Vautier, former chair NZPECC

For all the reasons others have mentioned, Hadi was a much admired and loved member of the PECC family. He always impressed with his willingness to listen and then articulate a considered and well-rounded view, in a most engaging manner. Hadi’s tireless efforts and achievements in the region are legendary and he leaves a legacy of true cooperation. It was a privilege to have worked with him in PECC.

My condolences to Hadi’s family and friends.

Kerrin M Vautier

I was shocked and saddened when I heard the news of Pak Hadi’s passing yesterday evening.

I will always remember him with his friendly smiles when I meet him either at PECC conferences or when he visited the PECC Secretariat. He brings with him his friendliness, warmth and positive energy wherever he goes. He strikes me as a man who perseveres in his goals and not one to give up easily. I remember with a smile the conversations we had at times about our beloved doggie friends.

Rest in peace, Pak Hadi!

My prayers and deepest condolences to Ibu Yanti and his family.

Daphenie

From Jusuf Wanandi, PECC co-chair (via Jakarta Post)

Hadi Soesastro: A best friend, a bright colleague, a most humane person

He was the youngest of the founders of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), an institute he co-founded in l97l, but, alas, he was called by his Creator before the older co-founders. I believe because he had been the best among us, in character, in intellectual capabilities, in his demeanor and in his love for other people.

Hadi, we fondly called him, departed on May 4, just four days after his 65th birthday on April 30.

We at CSIS all grieved and cried, because we lost a friend, a colleague, a co-worker, a thinker, but above all, the finest human being we have been privileged to be with for over 40 years.

See: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/05/06/hadi-soesastro-a-best-friend-a-bright-colleague-a-most-humane-person.html

From Amb Zou Mingrong, Executive Vice Chair CNCPEC

Dear Jusuf,

It is a tremendous shock for me and all the members of CNCPEC to learn the untimely death of Dr. Hadi Sosaestro. He was in China not long ago for China-Indonesia bilateral meetings and his last efforts in promoting our amicable relations are much appreciated and will be remembered.

It is indeed a great loss to PECC given his passion for Asia Pacific Cooperation, his unique expertise, and his profound vision for the cause. All of my colleagues who met and worked with Hadi before are grieved by his passing away and will remember his contribution to PECC and APEC in all the past years. We shall continue to admire him for his integrity as a scholar in its true sense.

On behalf of Amb. Mei Ping, Chair of CNCPEC who is on a business trip away from office, and all of my colleagues, I would like to extend our profound condolences and sympathy to you, and through you, to the family of the deceased. May the survivors carry on the legacy that Hadi has left us and play our due role in promoting a cooperative process across the Asia and the Pacific region.

Sincerely yours,

Amb. Zou Mingrong
Executive Vice Chair
CNCPEC

From Jane Drake-Brockman (via Australian Services Roundtable)

On behalf of the Australian Services Roundtable, I write to celebrate and to treasure Pak Hadi Soesastro’s sustained extraordinary achievements in nurturing and progressing not just a more close-knit regional community but the reality of closer regional economic integration. Naturally his passing is an immeasurable loss to CSIS and to Indonesia. He is a great loss to Australia also and to the Asia-Pacific region. And to robust domestic and regional economic analysis, diplomacy and public advocacy. We will always be grateful for his spirited encouragement of efforts everywhere to give voice to the Services sector and to bring greater research and policy attention to services regulatory reform. We know his tireless efforts on so many fronts in Indonesia and elsewhere will be recognised and reenergised by his wide circle of colleagues and we write to share with all of you our moral support and friendship at this sad time.

Jane Drake-Brockman

From the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (via http://www.asiapacific.ca/news/dr-hadi-soesastro-passes-away)

Dr Hadi Soesastro, a founding member of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), Executive Director of INCPEC and International Chair of the Pacific Trade and Development (PAFTAD) Steering Committee passed away on May 4. Dr. Hadi was one of the intellectual founders of regionalism in Southeast Asia and the broader Asia Pacific. The impact his work had on ASEAN, APEC and PECC is immeasurable, not only because he was respected by decision-makers he worked with throughout the region but because of the generation of leaders he inspired and will continue to inspire through his writing. The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, its President and CEO Yuen Pau Woo and Distinguished Fellow Don Campbell express their deepest condolences to Dr. Hadi’s family for their loss.

Published: May 04, 2010

From the East West Center (via http://www.eastwestcenter.org/)

HONOLULU (May 3) - The East-West Center expresses its deep sympathy to the family of Dr. Hadi Soesastro as we mourn his passing. Dr. Hadi served as a member of the Center’s International Advisory Board and has participated in several EWC activities over the years. He also served as the executive director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Jakarta, Indonesia. As one of the most prominent and respected Southeast Asian intellectuals promoting regional economic cooperation and freer trade, he was a mentor and adviser to many younger Southeast Asian scholars and government officials.

“We will deeply miss Hadi for his brilliant mind, his warm and unassuming character, and his profound commitment to our Asia Pacific community-building mission,” stated EWC President Charles E. Morrison

From Coral Ingley, Chair, NZPECC

On behalf of NZPECC I wish to convey our condolences to Hadi’s family on his very sad and untimely passing. As evidenced from the many expressions of sadness and grief from those who knew and worked with Hadi, his loss to the PECC and Asian community is immeasurable. But his legacy of intellect, commitment and contribution to the cause of Asia-Pacific regionalism will live on.

May he rest in peace.

Coral Ingley
Chair, NZPECC.

From Peter McCawley is a Visiting Fellow at the Indonesia Project, ANU. (Via Lowy Institute)

One of Indonesia’s leading scholars of international economics and regional affairs, Hadi Soesastro, died on Tuesday. This is a huge loss — to Indonesia, to Australia, and to Asia.

Dr Hadi Soesastro was for many years Executive Director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, Indonesia’s leading think tank on international affairs.

For over 40 years, thousands of Australian and international diplomats, research workers, journalists and visitors have visited the CSIS to attend seminars and meet with CSIS staff. And for nearly all of this time – when he was not away representing the CSIS at international gatherings — Hadi Soesastro was ubiquitous in the corridors of CSIS, somehow always finding time to meet his international colleagues and friends, and always with extraordinary courtesy, good humour, and a remarkable ability to offer incisive views about events of the day.

Hadi Soesastro’s numerous academic and other publications in newspapers, journals, and conference papers relate to almost every aspect of Indonesia’s interests in regional and international affairs.

He was a frequent visitor, too, to Australia, often visiting universities to give seminars or to take part in conferences, or to give talks at institutions such as the Lowy Institute. In July last year, he was awarded an honorary degree at the ANU in recognition of his work to regional and international relations, and for his contribution to Australia-Indonesia relations.

But what his hundreds of Australian friends will miss most is the warmth of Hadi’s presence — his unfailing grace, his smile, his gentle chuckle when recounting the latest Jakarta anecdote, and his keen insights on current trends in Indonesia and the world.

http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2010/05/06/Our-colleague-Hadi-Soesastro.aspx

From Yoshiji Nogami, Chair, JANCPEC

I was deeply saddened to learn of Hadi’s passing away and I would like to express my sincere condolences to his family and his CSIS colleagues both personally and on behalf of the Japan National Committee of PECC.

I very much enjoyed and valued my two-decade-plus association with Hadi. He was always so kind and considerate to us, and we always welcomed talking with him.

Hadi’s inspiring leadership and initiative in promoting intellectual interaction within the Asia-Pacific community culminated in the foundation of PECC and APEC, and he will be long remembered by all of us who have followed in his path by working for the realization of his ideals.

In tribute to his memory from a friend in Japan, I will pray for the peaceful repose of his soul in heaven.

From Christopher Findlay, Vice-Chair AUSPECC

Hadi was always a reference for me in thinking about many things, but especially regional economic issues. He was a reference point in terms of the rigour with which to approach a situation but also in the manner in which the argument should be put to be effective. Many friends have referred to his quiet and unassuming but persuasive ways. He was a reference point to show that an individual could make a real difference. He demonstrated how well developed frameworks for thinking about things could be applied to new issues but at the same time how to watch out for new issues that would help build the framework. He was a reference point for persistence, and his long running commitment to PECC set a standard for the rest of us. I will miss very much the regular reminders of all these strengths as I used to meet Hadi from time to time in this meeting or that, and I promise I will work hard to never forget them.

I have been informed that Dr Hadi Soeastro had passed on very recently and I want to express my deep condolences to his family and to share some thoughts about Pak Hadi.

Although I may not be as close a friend to Pak Hadi as some others , I did have a strong admiration for him for his passionate views on certain subjects on ASEAN economies and his deep knowledge on Southeast Asia’s political economy , history and indigeneous culture , which he spoke with much eloquence and bountiful insights.

I had the privelege in November 2009 to be on the same workshop panel as Pak Hadi discussing climate change economic issues where we had very similar views on the subject. We were both invited discussants on the topic by the Asian Economic Policy Review journal and this workshop was held in Tokyo ,Japan. During dinner Pak Hadi and I exchanged further views on climate change and the economy. At no point throughout the workshop did Pak Hadi mentioned about how much his illness had affected him except to say that he was under treatment. More importantly , he was his usual self in making cogent and passionate arguments on many subjects we touched on.

Indonesia has lost a talented and pragmatic economist with great ideas and vision. May I also add , an economist with immaculate dressing and a gentlemen.

Professor Euston Quah
Head of Economics
Nanyang Technological University
Singapore
President, Economic Society of Singapore Editor, Singapore Economic Review

From Mari Pangestu

Hadi Soesastro: leaving behind permanent footprints of the Asia Pacific vision legacy

Hadi Marwoto Soesastro passed away on May 4, 2010 at 5.30 a.m. just a few days after his 65th birthday on 30th April and after being in coma for 10 days. According to his family he passed away peacefully with a smile on his face. This is so reminiscent of the Hadi Soesastro or Mingki (his nickname, derived from his Chinese name) whom we all knew and loved. Calm, smiling and always providing comfort or a solution when we needed one.
I wish I had been there to see this last look. Before I left for my trip to Shanghai and the US, I had gone to the hospital to take my leave and I knew deep inside that this was probably the last time I would see him. Even though he was already in deep coma, I would like to think that he could still hear me telling him that if he had to go – to go in peace and we would still be here to continue his work. The tremendous legacy in terms of the vision of the place of Indonesia in the region and globally are footprints that will never be forgotten and it is beholden upon us to realize his legacy so that the footprints he left behind are not just footprints in the sand to be washed away by the next tide.

I wish I could be there to say my last goodbye, so to “comfort myself”, I am writing this obituary just as he did in an email dated June 27 2009, when his mother passed away and he could not be there, he sent us a two page piece in memory of her and he said that he wrote it “as a way to comfort myself”.

In writing this I begin to think about how long I have known Hadi Soesastro and as I began to piece together the three different stages, I realized that there was a common thread in all the three stages.

It’s hard to believe that I have known Hadi Soesastro for almost 40 years.

My first recollection of meeting Hadi Soesastro was as a sulking 15-year-old teenager accompanying my parents to Bali for one of those famous CSIS seminars in 1971. I was sulking because I did not particularly want to be with a bunch of boring adults. However, I have a strong recollection of an animated discussion with “Om Mingki” (uncle Mingki) on the beach of Sanur Beach Hotel on the subjects that I was studying in school at the time, and concluding that some adults were not so bad after all. “Om Mingki” would have been a youthful 26 at that time, but was already an intellectual force as one of the founding members of CSIS and providing much of the inputs.

A few years later when I was a student of economics, my father would “encourage” me to go to CSIS for my holiday work and I would frequently be there during the summer holidays to do editing and data processing work, including writing my honors thesis. I loved to go to CSIS because of the library, the computer room (computers were still a novelty then!) and to see “Om Mingki” with his powerful intellect and who always had the time of day to talk to this student who pretended she knew a lot of economics. This tradition of welcoming students and young researchers turned out to be a hallmark of CSIS culture and many renowned scholars and interns found their way to CSIS, including staying in the famous apartments on the fifth floor.

The final stage of knowing him began as a wonderful and unforgettable relationship that evolved from being one of his staff, to being a colleague and finally an inseparable part of my life. My late father who died one week after I returned home with my Ph.D had spent his last few days telling everyone that he expected that I would work in CSIS and he asked all of them to take care of me. In September 1986 when I first joined CSIS as a staff member of the Department of Economics headed by Djisman Simandjuntak, I did not only find a work place, but I found an irreplaceable, intellectual, egalitarian and open work environment. At the center of this was Hadi Soesastro with his brilliant mind; visionary thinking that created the most open and intellectually stimulating place that was a heaven to work in for independent minded thinkers and researchers. There was a sense of equality and tremendous camaraderie that was an irreplaceable place to “grow”.

I will never forget the invaluable guidance, that I received in the first few years of working in CSIS, from being a fresh graduate and within a few years of working closely with Mingki (I graduated from calling him Om Mingki to Mingki) and Djisman, I was asked to lead various coordinating groups in the various regional groups we had such as the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, ASEAN Institute of Strategic Studies network and on. Writing this obituary in Seattle reminds me of our earlier joint work with PECC in the lead up to the first APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Seattle in 1993 and the birth of the Bogor Goals in 1994.
Hadi Soesastro continued to be a beacon for all strategic and important discussions on the way forward for the Asia Pacific region, ASEAN and the evolving regional architecture, especially in the track two world, which inputs into policy makers. He has been present from the beginning of the evolution of APEC in 1989 and also with the birth of ASEAN and its evolution, including contributing to the birth of the ASEAN Community vision. More recently in light of the various crises and subsequent emergence of East Asia as “the” high growth region. His vision continued and he envisioned the region as one where Indonesia should play a leadership role, looking out for its national and strategic interests, and the role it needed to play in strengthening ASEAN as the foundation for the evolving East Asia regional architecture. His footprints can be found permanently every where in the vision and mechanisms that have evolved in the region whether it is ASEAN, East Asia of Asia Pacific. His latest thoughts are evident in one of the latest articles he wrote during a time when he was actually undergoing treatment and quoting from that article: “Asia looms large in the new global economic (and political) reality resolving global challenges (economic, political, social, human security and environmental) in the 21st century will require strong international norms, rules and cooperation as well as effective regional mechanisms for implementation and action. ….This suggests the importance of re-examining Asia’s regional institutional architecture.”

I could not wish for a better “boss” although in his humility he would always correct me when I introduced him as my boss. Not only did he provide the intellectual example and sense of vision, but my extraordinarily kind boss was always looking out for me, and he was always there for important occasions. Checking out (and nodding with approval) my husband to be; arranging for my wedding party from the décor, to the church and to the wedding dress; coming to visit me in Malaysia close to the birth of Raymond my first son and his god son; always bringing little presents (especially books) for my children; and assuring me when with great trepidation ten years after joining CSIS, I was asked to take over from him as Executive Director of CSIS in 1997. He was always sending messages of concern sometimes gentle reprimand or reminders on the numerous issues that we have to deal with – issues of substance as well as personal. Indeed my last conversation with him on Friday April 23rd, he was making some suggestions for Raymond his god son.

So what is the common thread that I have found in the three stages of having the privilege of Hadi Soesastro being part of my life? Simply. He was the most brilliant person I have ever known, who always had a vision and an idea that was new and innovative. He was so articulate and precise in his delivery, but yet he was the most wonderful and humble human being, a smiling guardian angel who always provided comfort, advice, a solution and a shoulder to cry on. And someone you could trust completely, well because he is just like that.

I can only close with a quote from his Christmas Letter to us all, where he explained the alternative treatment he was undergoing. I quote: “Christmas 2009 is meant to be one that changes the way I view life. …And yet, I see no reason why this Christmas is not a cause for celebration. There is something important about the notion of these two simple words, “to be” (existence, life, relations to nature and the higher order of things) that I am learning from the experience of trying to deal with an illness. And, I like to share this with you. …..Please join me in lighting a candle to life and all there is to it.”

Mari Pangestu, Sleepless in Seattle, May 3, 2010.

From Prof Sung Yun Wing, Chair HKCPEC

Dear Eduardo,

I learnt with great sadness the passing away of Dr. Hadi Soesastro. I first met Hadi in 1983 at a PAFTAD Conference in Manila. Since then, I have met him many times in other conferences. As one of the founders of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) and a strong advocate of regional cooperation throughout his career, Hadi will always be remembered for his tremendous contribution to the work of PECC and in the promotion of cooperation in the Asia Pacific region. On behalf of the HKCPEC, I write to express our deepest sympathy to the family of Hadi.

With best regards,

Prof Sung Yun-wing
HKCPEC Chair

From Ellen Frost, Visiting Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics

Two weeks after his death I am still in mourning for Hadi. I didn’t know him well, but he went out of his way to help me with my book on Asian regionalism. Whenever I saw him, his kindness shone through. His efforts to promote rational economic policies were embedded in good will and constructive visions. He was a prince among men, with a universal soul.

Ellen Frost
Visiting Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics

From: Professor Bernardo M Villegas, Senior Vice President, University of Asia and the Pacific, Philippines

Ever since the Center for Research and Communication was founded in 1967 by Dr. Jesus Estanislao and a visionary group of economists, political scientists, and business executives who had just returned from their graduate studies in the US and Europe, the advice being given by this pioneering think tank to leaders in both the government and private sectors of the Philippines was to “think global, strategize regional, and act local.” Contrary to the mood then prevailing among many Filipino intellectuals who were still caught up with the inward-looking, protectionist, and ultra-nationalistic ideology so prevalent in developing countries after the Second World War, the “Friends of CRC” were constantly exhorted to look outward.

Fortunately, there were other think tanks in the Southeast Asian region that were also trying to spread the word of regionalism and internationalism.

One of them was the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) based in Jakarta. We also worked very closely with the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) of Singapore, the Institute for International and Strategic Studies (ISIS) in Malaysia, and the Chululangkorn University of Thailand. In the 1970s, as CRC was taking its first steps as a player in the ASEAN region, people who were thinking global and strategizing regional in the Philippines and in the ASEAN countries could be counted with the fingers of one hand.

The one person who did most to overcome the inward-looking and ultra-nationalistic tendencies of most leaders in the region was Dr. Hadi Soesastro, one of the founders of CSIS in Jakarta. Dr. Soesastro just passed away last May 4, 2010. It would not be an exaggeration to call Dr. Soesastro as the father of regionalism among economists and political scientists in the ASEAN.

In all the conferences in which I encountered him, he was a tireless advocate of regionalism and regional economic cooperation. He had such a gentle demeanor that he could win over even the most stubborn opponents of regional integration. He was very effective in presenting the advantages of regionalism because he could muster arguments from economics, political science, history, sociology, and other disciplines.

He was a good example of the “renaissance man” who had a strong liberal arts foundation, despite the fact that he was trained as an aeronautical engineer in Germany. Being an academic himself, he was very much at home with university professors and think tank intellectuals. At the same time, he could be persuasive in talking to government officials and top executives of the leading corporations in the Asia Pacific region.

There is no important regional association in the ASEAN which does not carry the mark of Dr. Soesastro.

One Filipino intellectual who worked very closely with him is Dr. Carolina Hernandez, one of the best political scientists the Philippines has produced. Together with Dr. Hernandez, he developed the ASEAN People’s Assembly (APA). He was also a prime mover of the ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN ISIS), through which the APA has been actively promoting close cooperation between civil society organizations and the governments of ASEAN countries. These efforts will be especially crucial in the reconstruction of the market economies of the region after the Great Recession of 2008 to 2009. A stronger alliance between governments and civil society is one of the most effective remedies to the shortcomings and weaknesses of the market economy which came to light in the recent global crisis.

Dr. Soesastro will surely be missed by his friends and colleagues in the Asia Pacific region. His memory will be lasting, however, because his innovative ideas about regional cooperation have been incorporated into the leading regional associations such as the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), the Economic Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), the APA, the ASEAN ISIS, and the Asian Development Bank, where he worked as an advisor. He will also be always remembered for his human qualities of humility, generosity, and gentleness. Let me also add that he was a true Christian gentleman who was open to all men and women of good will, a man with a truly universal outlook. For comments my e-mail address is bvillegas@uap.edu.ph.