INDONESIA A NEWS

Sitting down with Indonesia's rising business stars gives a sense of the progress and perils that define the country as it marks a decade since the downfall of authoritarian president Suharto and heads into parliamentary and presidential elections next year. "Indonesia is now an economic powerhouse, the biggest in Southeast Asia," said Fauzi Ichsan, chief economist at Standard Chartered Bank. "Our middle class is the size of Malaysia's entire population and growing." Rozan Anwar, director of a human resources company, compares Indonesia to the so-called BRIC [Brazil, Russia, India, China] countries lauded for rapid economic development since the turn of the millennium. "We say iBRIC - it makes it sound cooler," said Sandiaga Uno, a leader with the country's young entrepreneurs association. But ask the same analysts about the country's political health and the responses are not as positive. "I have no confidence in the political system,

American companies this week made a commitment to invest more in Indonesia provided that the government can guarantee legal certainty and security.During a meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri 10 American companies, mainly oil and gas enterprises, made a commitment for new investment totaling US$2 billion, according to presidential economic adviser Frans Seda. Seda, however, declined to elaborate. Nonetheless, executives of Conoco Oil and Freeport Mc Moran, both with strong interests in Indonesia, expressed their intention to increase their investment in the country. Conoco senior vice president J. Michael Stinson said that his company, with interests in the West Natuna gas field in Riau, intended to join the bidding for 17 new oil and gas blocks offered by the government during the meeting. Freeport chairman and chief executive officer James R. Moffet, said that the company had invested a total of $6 billion in its giant copper and gold mines in Irian Jaya alone and was prepa

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said democracy is a way to attain a country's prosperity. Islamic teachings are expected to support the implementation of democracy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Democracy in every country is determined by its system, its culture and historical back ground. "The objective of a country is to achieve prosperity," Kalla said at the official opening of the second meeting of the Southeast Asian Forum on Islam and Democracy at the vice president's office, today (13/8).According to Kalla, democracy is a system found in many countries such as Indonesia, the United States, Europe, and Korea. Moslems in ASEAN, must respect democracy and diversity. Kalla further said that the Moslem community is currently the biggest population in Indonesia. "However, quantity is not more important than the values they hold," he said. He believes that Islam and democracy have always been interesting topics of discussion, especially wh

We are poor people. The illegal education retribution is too much for us," Hakman Tumanggor, the action coordinator told Tempo.According to Hakman, the costly fees includes contributions for the school building, construction, books and uniform.The fees apply to almost all elementary and high schools, new students are being accepted, currently taking place.Hakman said that the Regent in Jember must provide a policy banning such retribution at schools. "We demand that the Jember Regent and Education Department chief take firm action or penalize the school principals or teachers who impose these illegal fees," said Hakman.This issue has also upset Asmuri, 36, a becak driver who has just enrolled his child in State Elementary School 11.He said his child was required to pay Rp 250.000 for books, Rp 300.000 for uniforms, on top of that, a minimum of Rp 750.000 as donation. "How can I get that much money," Asmuri cried.Unfortunately, the parents' efforts to meet R

LAST week, Helen Clark, the New Zealand Prime Minister, was asked about the pending execution of the three Bali bombers in Indonesia. She replied: "The New Zealand Government does not support the death penalty under any circumstances. Clearly these men are guilty of heinous crimes and those crimes, in any jurisdiction, would justify them (getting) very serious penalties available under law but the New Zealand Government will not and does not support the death penalty." Kevin Rudd and his ministers need to say the same thing on our behalf.As well as the Bali bombers, there are at present three young Australians on death row in Indonesia. One is Scott Rush, a drug mule. Other Australians in the drug trade will face a similar fate. For their sake, we need to put a consistent position on the death penalty now.It would, of course, be crass and illogical to distinguish those on death row according to their nationality or ethnicity. Some people and states who support the death penal