Aug 14, 2026 – 9.00amSri Mulyani Indrawati knows how to draw a crowd. When the University of Melbourne’s Asialink announced the former Indonesian finance minister would be in town to give a speech, it was swamped with RSVPs and quickly moved the event to a larger forum.At least half the crowd on Wednesday night were Indonesian students, thrilled to be in the same room as the woman many regard as a national hero. They were glad to see Sri Mulyani had survived the looting of her private residence in Jakarta last year. Even if she didn’t get to keep her job.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Emma ConnorsSenior editor and writerEmma Connors was South-east Asia correspondent from October 2019 until mid-2023, based in Jakarta and Singapore. She has previously edited Perspective and Opinion and has written extensively across the AFR and related titles.Fetching latest articles