SBY (AKA Save Bakrie, Yudhoyono) & Development...

I have not posted much lately. This has nothing to do with writer's block or similar ills that plague us all every now and then. Rather, it was a conscious decision to hide behind being "too busy" at work to blog. The truth though is more along the lines of getting a little bored with bagging SBY all the time. But, some things that the president says really are worth commenting on and this is one

The Evolution Of A Corruptor...

Something that I picked up off Facebook...Good to see that Indonesians, even in these testing times, have a sense of humour.

"Poor" SBY...

The President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or "SBY" to those in the know, has gone on the record (Kompas) intimating to high-ranking police and military officers that he understands their suffering on the salary front because he has not had a salary rise in more than seven years.However, this is the kicker, what the president did not say is that his salary is already twenty-eight times

Bank Century, Bailouts, Quorum, and Libel: Need or Diversion?

No apologies on the long-winded nature of this post. Some will find it interesting and some will be bored to snores.The Bank Century issue is one that has lingered and lingered, and will seemingly linger some more. It is an interesting political issue in the sense that so many are staking so much on "the case" being resolved. However, the issue, at least for some, for a long time, has been

Gayus Tambunan, Seven Years, and Justice Seen to be Done?

Gayus Tambunan, the corrupt tax official, received a sentence of seven years for his crimes. On hearing the verdict, Gayus thanked the judges for being fair and impartial, lambasted the incompetent and lying Legal Mafia Eradication Taskforce, and hinted that the CIA was involved in the process of helping him out.The big question that most people are asking in the immediate aftermath of this

Gayus Tambunan: SBY Adopts A "Hands-On" Approach...

There is a limit to the "ummming" and "ahhhhing" that one's constituents can take before they start to get fidgety and demand a more hands-on approach to end what appears to be a never-ending lurch from one crisis to another. There is probably also a point that a president reaches where they can no longer look at themselves in the mirror without being horrified at their own incompetence. So, in

BlackBerry and Taxes...

It makes sense to make life difficult for foreign businesses operating in a country when that foreign business is not complying with the prevailing laws and regulations. After all, fair is fair. If the laws and regulations apply to Indonesian companies doing business in Indonesia then a fair shake of the cherry tree must see foreign businesses complying with the prevailing laws and regulations

Is The Fight Against RIM More Than Just Porn?

The Jakarta Globe is reporting that the Minister for [Mis]Communication and [Mis]Information, Tifatul Sembiring (or as I prefer to call him, "TitS") has moved his anti-RIM and anti-BlackBerry fight to an argument that is "more than just about porn". And, he is telling the truth.The Minister's campaign against RIM is about beating RIM into submission. It is all about control. TitS problem with RIM

Indonesia vs. Gayus...

I will leave it up to you to decide which one is Indonesia and which one is Gayus Tambunan. Or is this RIM and Tifatul Sembiring (TitS)?Is RIM really going to get away with the cheese?Thanks to Enver Arslan who has these stop photography images on his posterous page. And, also, thanks to @BrettMcGuire for letting me know about these amazing photos.

The Problem with the Indonesian Remission System...

This is probably not an expose on the scale of Wikileaks. However, thanks to my mate Treespotter, we do have access to some interesting documents that highlight how poorly organised the remission system is in Indonesia. The files attached to his post relate to the case of Artalyta Suryani or Ayin. Ayin was convicted and sentenced to prison in a corruption case. She was found guilty of bribing a

Gayus Tambunan & A Sense of Humour...

When one is facing some time in the 'big house' it is important to maintain a sense of humour in facing such circumstances. Gayus Tambunan, the tax officer at the centre of a corruption scandal that touches a lot of the big names in Indonesian politics and business, in his final plea to the South Jakarta District Court asked to be made a member of the expert staff of the Chief of Police.His plea

Super Gayus...

It is a little hard to know whether to laugh or cry when reading about the exploits of one Gayus Tambunan.Gayus Tambunan is a mid-ranking tax official who was arrested for corruption relating to the extortion of trillions of Rupiah from a whole raft of Indonesian conglomerates where the Bakrie family figured prominently. The plan was that this young man would roll over and rat out all those that

What Do The Indonesian Cables on Wikileaks Reveal?

Tongue in cheek...Someone asked me whether I thought the 3000+ diplomatic cables that Wikileaks are leaking on Indonesia will be interesting and worth a read. My answer, Yes!No matter what is in these cables, they are going to make for interesting reading. This is particularly so for those who consider themselves knowledgeable on all things diplomatic and Indonesia / USA relationship wise. For