: Super User; Politics; 16 September 2011; Hits: 1195

Power struggle over forest land use

NEWS reports about rampant deforestation in Indonesia often refer to alleged corruption, poor law enforcement and the greed of logging and palm oil interests. But sometimes, the reviled companies are also victims.

: Super User; Politics; 09 September 2011; Hits: 1636

A national identity card nightmare

IN JANUARY last year, when Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi announced that his office was working on the design of a new, nationally valid electronic identity card, many local netizens reacted negatively.

: Super User; Politics; 02 September 2011; Hits: 1063

Battling for control of the TV industry

ON AUG 17, as Indonesians celebrated their independence day with a national holiday, rival television stations vied for viewers by airing local films related to nationalism and the independence struggle.

: Super User; Politics; 01 July 2011; Hits: 1707

Sour taste in tainted milk controversy

LONG-TIME observers of Indonesian politics and society usually have no difficulty regaling newcomers with stories about developments in the country that seem to make little sense. A recent one involves a long-running controversy over contaminated infant formula milk.

: Super User; Politics; 10 June 2011; Hits: 998

SBY Stakes All on Economic Growth Plan

NO OTHER president has invested as much political capital in a national development programme. This assessment by Danareksa Research Institute’s chief economist Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa of a new economic blueprint launched by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on May 27 says it all.

Key Political Risks

The inability of the government led by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to bridge the deep divisions between her populist government and its royalist opponents in the military and bureaucracy remains a major concern.

Prime Minister Yingluck has selected a competent economic team, but it is difficult for these technocrats to deliver on the new government's campaign promises without triggering inflation or hurting business.

The government has also been unable to resolve the ongoing insurgency involving ethnic Malay Muslim rebels in the south.

WATCH OUT FOR:

Attempts by the government to amend the constitution. The proposed rewrite is aimed removing legal measures initiated by the royalist generals who overthrew former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the current prime minister's elder brother, in 2006.
Ballooning government debt as officials seek to finance government programmes aimed at subsidising rice prices in order to retain the support of farmers.
The relationship between Prime Minister Yingluck and senior generals. Coups have been a common means of regime change in Thai history, and any attempt by the government to purge royalist elements in the top brass could trigger yet another. Thailand