The Thinker: A Questionable Prize for SBY
Many an accolade has been bestowed by foreign governments on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for his achievements creating a democratic Indonesia with robust growth, amid economic downturn in Europe and the United States. Millions of Indonesians are proud to have a leader widely respected by the international community, as attested by Yudhoyono’s receipt last month more »
China’s Riches Won’t Bring Freedom
Modern history is the story of how liberal democracy, originating in the United Kingdom and America, spread around the world. This may sound like an absurd fantasy. In actuality, this Whiggish narrative of progress underpins most newspaper editorials, political commentary and speeches in the West, and frames larger views of political developments in the non-West. more »
Editorial: Free-Market Thinker to Lead Finance
The appointment of M. Chatib Basri as the fourth finance minister under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is a welcome move. The new minister has the requisite experience, but more importantly he understands the needs of the business community. As he settles unto his new post after a successful stint at the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), more »
Editorial: Indonesian Govt Must Boost the Supply of Housing
Indonesia’s property boom is good for the country in the long run. With more Indonesians having a home to call their own, the country will be more socially stable and economically balanced. The property market underpins social mobility and ensures wealth creation. When people have property assets, they will be more concerned about their future more »
Business Regulation Made Smarter
Regulations are a necessary evil. We regulate how businesses are set up, governed, and how they deal with creditors. Without these regulations, there would be chaos. But regulations and regulatory processes can and do unintentionally choke and strangle business. Investors, both foreign and local, who have experienced what is required to establish a business in more »
Adat Law Needs to Adhere to Human Rights Standards
This week a joint United Nations Development Program and the Indonesian National Development Planning Agency project Strengthening Access to Justice in Indonesia (SAJI) held its fourth workshop in Palu, Central Sulawesi. The workshop aimed to strengthen adat (the informal justice system) in the province and focused on enhancing the existence of customary law by making more »
How Did a Junior Officer Get Away With Rp 1.5 Trillion?
When former National Police Traffic Corps chief Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo was indicted for graft at the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court, people were staggered by the vast amount of wealth the two-star general had accumulated. His fortune includes dozens of properties, each bigger than a football field, that span seven provinces. Djoko also owns several luxury more »
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Help Myanmar Manage Its Mandela Moment
Activists complain that US President Barack Obama, who welcomed Myanmar’s President Thein Sein to the White House on Monday, is embracing the former general too soon, before he’s proved his reformist bona fides. In fact, Obama is late to the party. Nowadays international businessmen, academics and aid workers throng Yangon’s dilapidated airport. In parts of more »
1:00 pm May 21, 2013No CommentRead More