NGO Focus: Yayasan IDEP

Yayasan IDEP’s NAME

In the Balinese language ‘IDEP’ is the aspect of human consciousness that is our ability to plan and think critically.

This name helps us convey our belief that in this age of increasingly challenging life situations, it is our ability to understand our environments and create appropriate solutions for sustainable development, that will maximize our positive impact on this world and give us all a better chance for survival

Yayasan IDEP’s VISION

To help people understand our interconnectedness with nature and to support safe and sustainable lifestyles.

Yayasan IDEP’s MISSION

1. To learn from existing community-based knowledge and use this knowledge to develop appropriate methods of preserving and strengthening local resources while strengthening community resilience to disaster.
2. To provide access to hands-on demonstrations, information and tools that address challenges faced by local communities.
3. To develop and utilize various types of educational media to capacity build and raise public awareness about community-based sustainable development and disaster management.
4. To participate in national and international networks, which support new and existing initiatives that focus on community-based sustainable development and disaster management.
5. To provide assistance to disaster affected people in need.

See HERE for more.

About Yayasan IDEP Foundation

Yayasan IDEP is an Indonesian non-profit foundation that was formally established in Bali, Indonesia in 1999, at the height of Indonesia’s economic crisis. IDEP’s objective was to respond to urgent needs for sustainable food production and resource management, while conveying the importance of environmental education for sustainable living.

Between 1999-2000 Yayasan IDEP successfully conducted several Permaculture Training of Trainer Courses, with the assistance of the some of the world’s most acclaimed Permaculture Trainers. IDEP facilitated the certification of over 200 people from throughout Indonesia. As the result of these courses, various Permaculture related projects have been initiated nation-wide.

After 2000, Yayasan IDEP applied the knowledge gained from feedback of original pilots to develop its own community based sustainable development pilot programs. It began testing innovative approaches to raising environmental awareness through public awareness media campaigns and curriculum development, while disseminating practical solutions to environmental, social and economic problems within local communities.
IDEP achieves its goals by:

• Introducing sustainable living solutions for households, businesses, schools & communities
• Introducing innovative approaches to environmental education into local schools
• Working directly with local communities at the grass roots level to pilot test projects
• Developing models for micro credit cooperative programs
• Constructing working demonstrations of small-scale organic food production
• Constructing working demonstrations of appropriate technology for waste management and wastewater treatment
• Developing eco-literacy through community based development media & curriculums
• Sharing knowledge gained and media through local NGO networks
• Conducting media training & supporting local NGO partners with their programs

Since the Bali Bombing tragedy in October 2002, the rapid decline of Bali’s economic stability has harshly brought home the reality of the un-sustainability of an economy primarily based on tourism. Yayasan IDEP is addressing increased requests for support from local communities to continue and expand its programs.

In 2001 IDEP launched a Community Based Crisis Response Program that will help local Indonesian communities to be more prepared for and to better manage disasters.

At IDEP we are extremely grateful for the support we have received from our international and local advisors, overseas voluntary programs, volunteer support and financial assistance received from these and local supporters of our programs. Thank you, we could never have achieved so much without you.

See HERE for more.

BBC NEWS - Flood in Peru

Death toll rises in Peru floods

The number of people killed in heavy flooding over the past several days in southern Peru has risen to 20, local officials say.

They say that at least five more people are missing and almost 40,000 others have been affected.

On Friday, officials airlifted the last of nearly 4,000 tourists stranded near the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu.

The tourists became trapped after floods and landslides destroyed road and rail links to the famous site.

'Terrified'

Peru's Cusco region in the Andes is the worst-hit.

"Before we could even get out of our beds the water was flowing over them"

Berta Pantoja, flood victim, Lucre

Your pictures: Peru floods

Journey to the flood villages

Lucre - a village situated next to a river with the same name - was all but washed away earlier this week, the BBC's Dan Collyns reports from the region.

"The waters hit our home at 2330 at night when we were all asleep," local resident Berta Pantoja says.

"Someone heard the noise and before we could even get out of our beds the water was flowing over them. Terrified, all seven of us ran in different directions trying to escape," she adds.

Many local residents are now trying to salvage what they can from their destroyed houses.

After the impressive airlift from Machu Picchu, bringing aid to hundreds of villages spread over a wide area will pose a far greater challenge, our correspondent says.

Other regions such as Puno, Ayacucho and Huancavelica were also hit hard by the torrential rains.

Officials say the floods are the worst to hit the country in years.

Related to this story:
Machu Picchu airlift is completed (30 Jan 10 | Americas )
In pictures: Machu Picchu airlift (30 Jan 10 | In Pictures )
Machu Picchu rail link still shut (28 Jan 10 | Americas )
Peru begins Machu Picchu airlift (26 Jan 10 | Americas )

Questions:

Have you ever been affected by a serious flood?

What NGO activity did you observe?

How does the flood in Peru compare to the floods we regularly see in Jakarta?

How do the challenges of emergency response differ?

The photocopies are ready!

The books are ready and I will bring them on Monday.



Poor Story: An Insider Uncovers How Globalisation and Good Intentions Have Failed the World's Poor (Paperback)

Product Description (from Amazon.com)

The Independent

"heartening book on Africa and remedies for its plight....Bolton
doesn't rant or preach; he tells hopeful stories as well as explaining
tragic failures; he balances hard facts with strong ideas"

The Guardian

"superbly lucid and readable"

City AM

"A shocking account...clearly, intelligently and sensitively
written...an important, fresh perspective on a long-running debate"

Product Description

For eight years, Giles Bolton worked for the British Government's Department for International Development (DFID), in countries as far flung as Kenya, Rwanda and Iraq. Idealistic and committed, he was determined to make a difference, but instead found himself confronted by an appallingly wasteful global aid industry and a persistently unequal trade system. He also began to see how Africa was being ripped off in its relations with the West, and how the western consumer and taxpayer was also losing out as a result. Born of both passion and frustration, "Poor Story" addresses the five crucial issues at the heart of this dilemma - Poverty, Aid, Trade, Globalisation and Change. Informed, engaging and jargon-free, the book draws on Giles Bolton's personal experiences to answer the questions behind the campaigns and concerts: Why is Africa still poor? What really happens to our aid money? How do trade rules affect the ordinary consumer at the checkout? And will the new promises made by Tony Blair and others finally make a difference? Accessible to read yet radical in its scope, "Poor Story" is the definitive insider's guide to how globalisation is failing the world's poor.

From the Publisher

A startling, hard-hitting account of how the West is failing Africa, and how we all lose out as a result

About the Author

Born in London in 1973, Giles Bolton has been closely involved in Africa and it's development for more than ten years as civil servant, diplomat and aid worker. From 1996 until 2004 he worked for the British Government's Department for International Development (DFID), in countries such as Kenya, Rwanda and Iraq. This is his first book.

Class Announcement

Desy is still feeling ill so I have decided to postpone Friday's session till Monday at 4pm. Please post a message here or send me an sms text if that rearranged time is NOT convenient for you.

Book Extract - "Job Interviews For Dummies"

If you want a pdf copy of this book, just ask Adrian (and bring your flashdisk!)

Here's an extract from Chapter 11:

Looking Good with Questions You Ask

So you just finished answering a seemingly endless line of questions about your work history and your education, and you’re pretty confident that you held your own.

Now the interviewer turns to you and asks, “Do you have any questions?”

This question is your cue to ask how much money you’re gonna make at this outfit anyway, right? Wrong!

The types of questions you ask and when you ask them are the least understood parts of the interview. Your questions offer major chances for garnering curtain calls or being booed off the stage.

Sort your question opportunities into two categories:

• Questions that sell you: These questions help you get an offer; they’re a way to sell without selling.
• Questions that address your personal agenda: These questions about pay, benefits, and other self-interest items should be asked only after you receive an offer — or at least a heavy hint of an offer.
• Keep your focus on the employer’s needs and how you can meet them.
  

Sell yourself by asking questions that are:

• Work-focused
• Task-focused
• Function-focused

Ask about the position’s duties and challenges. Ask what outcomes you’re expected to produce. Ask how the position fits into the department, and the department into the company. Ask about typical assignments.

Here are examples of work-related questions:

• What would be my first three goals if I were hired for this position?
• What would my key responsibilities be?
• How many and whom would I supervise? To whom would I report?
• Will I be working as a member of a team?
• What percentage of time will I spend communicating with customers, coworkers, and managers?
• Will on-job training be required for a new product?
• Can you describe a typical day?
• If I produce double my quota will you double my base pay?
• Was the last person in this job promoted?
• What’s the potential for promotion?
• How would you describe the atmosphere here?
• Formal and traditional?
• Energetically informal?
• Where is the company headed? Merger? Growth?
• What would my first project be?
• What type of training would I receive?
• What resources would I have to do the job?
• How much would I travel, if any?
• (If a contract job) Do you anticipate extensive overtime to finish the project on schedule?
• Where does this position fit into the company’s organizational structure?
• What results would you expect from my efforts and on what timetable?
• What improvements need to be made on how the job has been done until now?

How much time should you invest in asking selling questions?

Five to ten minutes is not too much. We have never heard an employer complain about a candidate being too interested in work.

Don’t ask questions about information you can glean (or should have gleaned) from research.

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?

Listening Practice - Fighting HIV AIDS

New guidelines for fighting HIV

Summary: Ahead of tomorrow's World Aids Day, the World Health Organisation has issued new guidelines for HIV treatment which would significantly increase the number of patients receiving anti-retroviral drugs.

DOWNLOAD AUDIO FILE HERE.

[LISTEN TO THE AUDIO FILE BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING TEXT]

At the moment, four million people around the world receive anti-retroviral drugs. There's another five million who need them but don't get them.

The WHO recommendations on when to start treatment for HIV would mean an extra three to five million people would be added to that waiting list. The WHO wants people who have HIV to start drugs before their immune systems get so weak they start displaying symptoms. A study recently published in the medical journal The Lancet showed starting treatment at the newly recommended level could increase survival by nearly 70%.

It would also add significantly to the cost on health care systems. In South Africa, which has one of the biggest HIV burdens in the world, currently fewer than half of the people who should be receiving HIV drugs get them.

Poor health infrastructure is a common problem for nearly all developing countries. Putting HIV-positive people on drugs earlier would significantly reduce the cost to health systems of treating opportunistic infections - illnesses which take hold while the immune system is weak. It would also greatly improve life expectancy of HIV patients, with repercussions for families and the workforce.

The WHO is still working out how much it would cost countries to improve their treatment regimes, but it won't be cheap.

Madeleine Morris, BBC News

FURTHER READING (click here):

The World Health Organization changes HIV 'drug advice'

HIV and AIDS

NGO Focus: Save The Children

Hey, is it just me or is it kind of difficult to get information about Save The Children's work in Indonesia from this web site?!

http://www.savethechildren.net/alliance/where_we_work/

Have a look and see what you can find. We will discuss this (the web site issue) when we meet.

In the meantime here is some information about the work that "Save" does around the world:

Our Mission

Save the Children fights for children's rights. We deliver immediate and lasting improvements to children's lives worldwide.

Our Vision

Save the Children works for:

• A world which respects and values each child.
• A world which listens to children and learns.
• A world where all children have hope and opportunity.

What Sets Us Apart

Save the Children is the world's largest independent organisation for children, making a difference to children's lives in over 120 countries. It is made up of 29 national organisations with a global staff of more than 14,000 working together.

From emergency relief to long-term development, Save the Children helps children to achieve a happy, healthy and secure childhood. Save the Children listens to children, involves children and ensures their views are taken into account. Save the Children secures and protects children's rights - to food, shelter, healthcare, education and freedom from violence, abuse and exploitation.

Annual Review 2008

As long as there are children in need, Save the Children will find innovative ways to help them survive and thrive. Save the Children is growing and strengthening its capability to fight for children's rights and to deliver immediate and lasting improvements worldwide.

For 90 years, national Save the Children organisations have committed themselves to bring about a better world for children. Increasingly, over recent years, these organisations have brought together their different cultures, experiences and resources to achieve a greater impact in their work and provide a stronger global voice for children.

To learn more, download our Annual Report:
2008 [Adobe PDF, 3389 Kb]

Previous Annual Reports:
2007 [4.7Mb PDF] 2006 [5Mb PDF] 2005 [1.7Mb PDF] 2004 [0.8Mb PDF]
2003 [1Mb PDF] 2002 [1Mb PDF] 2001 [0.9Mb PDF]

Listening Practice - Family Planning in South Korea

South Korean family planning

Summary: South Korean government workers are being told to 'go home and multiply'. Tonight the Ministry of Health, concerned about the country's falling birth rate, will force staff to leave the office early and return to their loved ones.

DOWNLOAD AUDIO FILE HERE.

[LISTEN TO THE AUDIO FILE BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING TEXT]



Forget that still unwritten report or the backlog of paperwork building up on the desk, on this cold and rainy mid-week night there can be no excuses to stay late in the office. South Korea's Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs will be turning off all the lights at 7pm in a bid to force staff to go home to their families and, well, make bigger ones. It will repeat the experiment once a month.

The country now has one of the world's lowest birth rates, lower even than neighbouring Japan, and boosting the number of newborn children is a priority for this government, staring into the abyss of a rapidly ageing society, falling levels of manpower and spiralling health care costs.

The Ministry of Health, now sometimes jokingly referred to as the 'Ministry of Matchmaking', is in charge of spearheading that drive and it clearly believes its staff should lead by example. Generous gift vouchers are on offer for officials who have more than one child and the department organises social gatherings in the hope of fostering love amongst its bureaucrats. But critics say what is really needed is wide-scale reform to tackle the burdensome cost of childcare and education that puts many young people off from starting a family.

John Sudworth, BBC News, Seoul

FURTHER READING (click here): South Koreans told to go home and make babies

An End of Programme Report

Take a look at Oxfam International's Tsunami Fund End of Programme Report HERE (downloadable PDF file)

BBC NEWS - Bill Gates' Vaccine Pledge

What do you think about this news item?

What impact do you think this initiative will have on Indonesia?

What role could NGOs have in implementing this programme?

Gates makes $10bn vaccine pledge

Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda have said they will donate $10bn (£6.2bn) over the next 10 years to develop and deliver new vaccines.

Mr Gates, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said the aim was to see 90% of children in developing countries immunised.

Over the past 10 years, the couple's charity has committed $4.5bn (£2.78bn) to the development of vaccines.

The World Health Organization called the commitment "unprecedented".

Mr Gates said that by increasing immunisation coverage in poorer countries to 90% it should be possible to save the lives of 7.6 million children under five between 2010 and 2019.

'Incredible impact'

"We must make this the decade of vaccines," he said in a statement.

"Vaccines already save and improve millions of lives in developing countries. Innovation will make it possible to save more children than ever before."

He said money was needed to make the most of new vaccines now becoming available, including ones against severe diarrhoea and pneumonia.

Melinda Gates added: "Vaccines are a miracle. With just a few doses, they can prevent deadly diseases for a lifetime.

"We've made vaccines our number one priority at the Gates Foundation because we have seen first hand their incredible impact on children's lives."

Margaret Chan, head of the World Health Organization, said it was an unprecedented contribution and urged governments and private donors to add to the initiative.

"An additional two million deaths in children under five years could be prevented by 2015 through widespread use of new vaccines and a 10% increase in global vaccination coverage," she said.

Related to this story:
Malaria vaccine 'three years off' (26 Jan 10)
Grant to tackle sleeping sickness (20 Jan 10)
Gates' charity funds new vaccines (27 Oct 09)
Gates cash to help fight rabies (21 Sep 09)
Tycoon helps pneumonia research (07 Apr 09)
Malaria battle given $3bn boost (26 Sep 08 )

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
World Health Organization

Vocabulary Quiz

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Vocabulary Quiz: "Cut"

Decide if the definitions given for the idioms and other expressions using the word "CUT" are true or false. We will check your answers in class when we meet next week!

1. Someone or something that is a cut above other people or things is much better than those people or things.

2. If you are having a conversation with someone and you cut them short, you stop talking so that they can say something.

3. If you are cut up about something (for example, you are cut up about the way you are treated by someone), you are very happy and surprised.

4. If somebody cuts you dead, they shout at you because they are very angry.

5. A new employee in your company doesn't cut the mustard. In other words, he / she is not good enough.

6. Something in a shop that is described as cut-price is more expensive than it should be.

7. If your friend has a plan, and you cut the ground out from under his feet, you offer to support him, usually by lending him money.

8. A business that is described as cutthroat is a one that has a disadvantage because it is smaller than other businesses making the same product or offering the same service.

9. When someone cuts loose (for example, they cut loose from their family), they stop being influenced or controlled by them.

10. If you cut off your nose to spite your face, you work so hard and for so long that you become ill.

11. You have a train to catch and you are cutting it fine. This means that you have arrived at the station very early and have plenty of time before the train leaves.

12. If something is described as cut and dried (for example, "The issue of pay rises is cut and dried."), it is being talked about very carefully.

13. If something is described as cutting-edge (for example, cutting edge technology), it is very dangerous.

14. If you say to someone "Cut it out!", you are telling them to stop doing something that you do not like.

15. If, in a meeting, you cut to the chase, you waste time by talking about small, unimportant issues rather than issues which are more urgent.

16. A cutting remark is a remark that is cruel and intended to upset someone.

17. If you are in a difficult or unpleasant situation and you decide to cut and run, you pretend that the situation is not so difficult or unpleasant and continue behaving as normal.

18. If somebody tells you something important or impressive, and you say "That doesn't cut any ice with me", you are telling them that you have had the same experience yourself.

19. If you are doing a job and you cut corners, you do not do the job as thoroughly as you should, especially because you want to finish it as quickly as possible.

20. If you cut somebody down to size, you talk kindly to them and help them because they are very upset.

21. If somebody says something to you that cuts you to the quick, they offer you a suggestion or an idea which would help you a lot.

22. Somebody cuts a dash in the new clothes they are wearing. In other words, the clothes make them look stupid.

23. If you cut something short (for example, you cut a visit short), you arrive early.

24. If something cuts both ways, it has both good and bad aspects.

25. You and your friend own a car together, and your friend wants to sell it. You tell him that you want your cut. This means that you want to decide whether or not the car is sold.

NGO Focus: Oxfam Indonesia - part 2

Oxfam's work in Indonesia in depth

In Indonesia, Oxfam's focus is on creating sustainable livelihoods, promoting gender equality, increasing fair trade, and preparing for disasters.

The context

The Republic of Indonesia is a vast archipelago of more than 13,000 islands, less than half of which are inhabited. Two-thirds of Indonesia’s 200 million strong population inhabit just three of the islands - Java, Madura and Bali.

Most Indonesians live in rural areas, and 26 million people rely on farming for a living. However there is increasing migration of people moving into the cities, as small-scale farmers have limited access to resources to improve their livelihoods.

115 million people in Indonesia live on less than US$2 per day, and 32 million people at an employable age are without work. Indonesia now owes at least US$144 billion and as a consequence has cut the national budget, cutting back on food subsidies, privatising state enterprises, and limiting spending on education, health and social services. Indonesia is currently ranked 109 out of 179 in UNDP’s Human Development Index (2006).

Indonesia is a republic with a presidential system. Power is concentrated in the national government, however most communities are governed by a hierarchical system known as adat, or customary law. Following the resignation of President Suharto in 1998, Indonesian political and governmental structures have undergone major reforms. Indonesia has seen much political instability and conflict over the last century, the effects of which are still being felt in many areas.

Indonesia lies on volcanic fault lines and faces a range of natural hazards including tropical flooding, earthquakes and drought, in addition to persistent conflict. During the last three years 255,000 people died due to natural disasters and conflict, and 1.4 million people have been displaced from their homes.

How is Oxfam helping?

Oxfam has been working in Indonesia since 1972. We work with communities and partners in three major areas, while promoting gender equality in all of our programmes. Oxfam works to:

• Improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers and labourers
• Save lives by delivering humanitarian assistance and assisting communities to prepare for natural disasters
• Help to shape government policies in favour of poor people and marginalised communities.

Oxfam’s response to the 2004 Tsunami has been extensive over the last four years. In terms of public health for example, 652 million litres of clean water has been provided, 7,100 wells built or rehabilitated, over 170 community water systems built, over 6,000 latrines and 2,200 bathing units built or rehabiliated, and over 2,500 health volunteers trained. In total has supported 121 projects working with 92 partner organisations, reaching more than 250,000 women and men. Oxfam was a leading actor in the post Tsunami response.

Small scale farmers, labourers, and people living on small islands and coastal areas have limited access to resources to improve their livelihoods. Oxfam works with communities and partners to strengthen the power of farmers organisations to influence the process and content of annual budgeting for the agricultural sector and food security policies that benefit both men and women at district and national levels.

A notable success came in 2004 when ten district governments in Java began to include farmers representatives in their budget planning sessions as a result of Oxfam’s combined lobbying with our local partner.

In working with small-scale farmers Oxfam has sought to modify unhelpful farming practices. Many farmers in Indonesia rely on chemical fertilisers to make a living from the land. Yet these are often expensive, and bad for the health of farmers and the environment. Oxfam works with farmers to promote organic farming methods that are less expensive, and produce greater yields. We also give marketing advice so that farmers can access markets and get the best possible price for their produce.

Last updated: December 2009

Supplementary Reading - Indonesia's Economy

A sunny outlook

Aug 21st 2009
From The Economist Intelligence Unit ViewsWire

Indonesia's robust economy continues to grow

Indonesia has proved to be less exposed to the global recession than many of its neighbours, and its economy expanded by 4.2% year on year in the first half of 2009. As a result, the Economist Intelligence Unit has revised up its forecast for real GDP growth to 4.1% (from 2.6% in our previous forecast) in 2009 and 4.4% (from 3.4% previously) in 2010.

The government's Rp71.3trn (US$7.1bn) stimulus package for 2009, which includes cash transfers and higher salaries for civil servants, is supporting household expenditure. So are lower prices for food and fuel, which have provided a boost to personal disposable income.

However, we forecast that fixed investment will expand by only 0.5% this year, as domestic firms will experience difficulty in obtaining capital. Before the onset of the global financial crisis, domestic non-financial corporations obtained almost 50% of their financing from abroad. The Western investors that provided much of this cash have since scrambled to sell assets to meet their own short-term liabilities, which have become difficult to roll over. As a result, many investment plans in Indonesia are being postponed or dropped. Moreover, weak overseas demand will continue to prompt companies in the export sector to reduce investment. Although firms have so far not moved to lay off employees in large numbers, possibly because of the high severance costs that they must pay to sacked workers, we expect the unemployment rate to rise in response to the contraction in investment.



Although exporters will struggle amid economic weakness in 2009, imports are also likely to decline significantly. We therefore expect the foreign balance to continue to make a positive contribution to growth. Indeed, this contribution, at 1.2 percentage points, will be double that in 2007 and 2008.



There are still downside risks to our forecast. The international financial crisis could deepen, with a more damaging impact on global economic growth and capital inflows to Indonesia than we currently expect. The rupiah's exchange rate is also important to the health of the Indonesian economy. Although the currency has appreciated since mid-March, renewed weakness is possible, and the effect of a collapse in the value of the rupiah (not our central forecast) would be to lower the spending power of most Indonesians. A weaker rupiah would also make it more difficult for local corporations to meet their external debt obligations, raising the number of bankruptcies.

In addition, political risks exist: if deteriorating economic conditions spark social unrest, investment growth could be even more sluggish than currently forecast as investors lose confidence in the country. That said, the outlook remains broadly encouraging. The convincing re-election of the president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is likely to boost political stability and will give the new administration a strong mandate to pursue economic reforms—even though many of these will have to wait until the worst of the global economic downturn has passed. There are also signs that the rate of contraction in the global economy has slowed in recent months, while conditions in global financial markets have also improved. A stronger recovery in the global economy than we currently forecast would enable Indonesia's economy to grow at a faster rate.

Article available online HERE.

Copyright © 2009 The Economist Newspaper and The Economist Group. All rights reserved.

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NGO Focus: GTZ

In fact, GTZ is a governmental agency managing some of Germany's overseas aid, but as it has impact on the work of its NGO partners in Indonesia, we will take a look at here.

GTZ in Indonesia

Indonesia is a country on the move. Due to its regional significance the archipelago is accounted to be one of the anchor countries in South East Asia. GTZ has been working in Indonesia since 1975 on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Technical cooperation with Indonesia dates back to 1958.

Resulting from the agreement concluded during the government negotiations in October 2007 with the Indonesian Government and other donors, Development Cooperation is currently concentrating on the following three priority areas:

• Climate change
• Private sector development
• Good Governance/Decentralisation

The renewed priority area setting takes influence on the changed role of Indonesia in a global and regional context.

Throughout the negotiations Germany committed as well to provide financial assistance to support to fight avian flu and consultancy in the health sector.

After the devastating Tsunami of December 2004 in the Aceh and Nias Provinces, the German government provided huge additional funds for reconstruction of the affected areas. The extensive reconstruction programme that had been implemented will end in 2009. The main focus has been on the reconstruction of settlements, the rebuilding of the vocational training sector as well as the support for local administration and health services, and the facilitation of economic activities.

GTZ is in charge for regional projects with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat. The official partner on the Indonesian side is the National Development Planning Agency (Badan Perencanaan dan Pembangunan Nasional –BAPPENAS).

Priority areas in Indonesia

In consultation with the Indonesian Government and other donors, the current project portfolio in Development Cooperation is divided as follows:

Climate Change
Germany supports Indonesia in implementing its national climate action plan. The German Development Cooperation assists mainly programmes and projects such as “Nature and Climate Protection”, “City Traffic Emission Reduction” and “Forest and Climate Protection”. “Forest and Climate Protection” are tied to the German Development Cooperation’s longterm experiences of former forest management projects in Indonesia. In this connection, German Development Cooperation (GDC) supports the implementation of the forest management reform, the preparation of a future Post-Kyoto Protocol, and the establishment of new concepts for nature conservation, through incentive systems for emission reduction such as Reduced Emission from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD).
In the sectors “Natural and Climate Protection” and “City Traffic Emission Reduction”, the Indonesian government will receive support to achieve its long term strategy of carbon-reduced development. Additionally, GDC supports capacity building of executive managers for the development of global and sustainable solution statements.

Private Sector Development
In terms of the Millennium Development Goals the German Development Cooperation promotes a socially balanced economic growth. This should allow as many people as possible to actively participate in the economic life. A basic requirement therefore is a competitive private sector and the access of a broad part of the population to more education. A sufficient supply of qualified manpower plays an important role in the competitiveness of businesses. Germany’s contribution in Indonesia therefore focuses on the private sector development as well as vocational training prioritizing on the support of small and medium-size enterprises.

Good Governance / Decentralization
Decentralization and democratization play key roles in development:, the old authority structures are gradually being replaced by more participative processes. German Development Cooperation has provided support to the Indonesian Government in crucial aspects of the decentralization process and the creation of a new legal framework. Also, competences and potentials of the local government officials should be strengthened (Capacity Development). Thereby, the public services should be improved and efficiently set up.

BBC NEWS - Haiti Airlift

Read this article. We will discuss it briefly in class on Friday.

Concern over Haiti airlift halt

US doctors in Haiti have voiced concern about the suspension of evacuation flights to America for critically injured Haitian earthquake victims.

A senior US medic told the BBC that scores of patients could die if they did not get treatment in the US soon.

The US military stopped the flights to Florida on Wednesday.

A White House spokesman told the BBC the move was due to "logistical issues", not over medical costs as had been reported earlier.

In a separate development, Haitian officials have detained at least nine US nationals on suspicion that they tried to take more than 30 children out of the country without authorisation.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme said it had established fixed sites for food distribution in the Haitian capital, Port au Prince, where only women would will be allowed in to collect earthquake relief supplies.

'Order from above'

Barth Green, a senior American doctor at a field hospital in Port-au-Prince airport, warned that the suspension of the so-called mercy flights could result in the deaths of scores of critically injured patients.

"The consequences - in the kids with crushed chests and on ventilators and respirators, and some of the adults - are they will die," Dr Green told the BBC.

He said there were "hundreds of thousands of critically injured and severely disabled Haitians, and we're only trying to send a few hundred to America".

"There has been no policy decision made to suspend medical evacuation flights"

White House spokesman

UK to ship iron to Haiti victims

Haiti holds US 'child smugglers'

BBC Caribbean

"It's really a small issue," Dr Green said.

He also said the US State Department, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security had until now co-operated with the programme, but an "order from above" had halted the flights.

Among the patients was a five-year-old girl suffering from tetanus in a small leg wound.

She would die within a day unless evacuated, Dr David Pitcher, a medic at the institute's temporary field hospital at Haiti's international airport, told the Associated Press.

'Logistical hurdles'

"There has been no policy decision made to suspend medical evacuation flights. This is an unprecedented relief effort with enormous logistical hurdles, and we are working through those in an effort to resume medical evacuation flights," the White House spokesman said.

He stressed the flights had been halted due to "logistical reasons that have nothing to do with funding".

The New York Times earlier quoted a US military as saying that the flights were suspended because of a dispute over whether the federal government or the state government of Florida would pay for the evacuees' medical care.

Hundreds of patients with spinal injuries, burns and other wounds have been evacuated to the US since the 12 January quake that killed up to 200,000 people.

'Reaching saturation'

Confirming the flights had stopped, US Transportation Command spokesman Capt Kevin Aandahl said on Saturday: "Apparently, some states were unwilling to accept the entry of Haitian patients for follow-on critical care.

"We manage air evacuation missions, but without a destination to fly to we can't move anybody. If we don't have permission to bring them, or they won't take them in, we can't fly the mission. It's pretty simple."

He declined to say which states did not want to accept patients.

A spokesman for Florida Governor Charlie Crist said he was not aware of any hospital in his state refusing patients.

In a letter on Tuesday to US Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Mr Crist asked the federal government to activate the National Disaster Medical System, which usually pays for victims' care in domestic disasters.

He warned: "Florida's healthcare system is quickly reaching saturation, especially in the area of high-level trauma care."

Women-only

The Republican governor's letter noted the system was already under strain because of the winter influx of elderly people.

Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme said it had set up 16 distribution points in Port-au-Prince which would open on Sunday and reach many more hungry Haitians.

But only women will be allowed in to collect rations, because, the WFP says, this has proved that's the best way to get food to the people who need it.

Men will be encouraged wait outside the distribution centres to accompany women after they have been given rations, because lone women would be more vulnerable to attack.

The WFP is also starting to hand out food coupons entitling each family to collect 25kg (55lb) of rice rations, designed to last two weeks.

Supplementary Reading - New data on the second-biggest faith

A shifting locus

Oct 8th 2009 From The Economist print edition

New data on the second-biggest faith

Is the picture from Arabia? No, Chechnya

WHEN Barack Obama made his appeal, back in June, for a new understanding between America and Islam, the venue he chose was Egypt—for some obvious reasons. It is the most populous of the Arab nations adjoining the Middle Eastern conflict zone, with an ancient tradition of Islamic scholarship, and a citizenry that is tempted by fundamentalism but also admires some things about the West.

Still, not everybody liked his choice. Some said he would have made a better point—to his compatriots, especially—if he had addressed the Muslim world from Indonesia, the country where (to quote a line from his speech) he first heard the call to prayer “at the break of dawn and the fall of dusk”. By speaking in Jakarta, Mr Obama might have challenged the mental association that (judging by polls) some Westerners still tend to make: Muslim equals Arab equals hostile to the West.

A new survey of the world’s Muslim population, by the Pew Research Center based in Washington, DC, will help those who are keen to break that link. It estimates the total number of Muslims in the world at 1.57 billion, or about 23% of a global population of 6.8 billion. Almost two-thirds of Muslims live in Asia, with Indonesia providing the biggest contingent (203m), followed by Pakistan (174m) and India (160m).

Perhaps more surprising will be the finding that the European country with the highest Muslim population is not France or Germany, but Russia, where 16.5m adherents of Islam make up nearly 12% of the total national population. Compared with other surveys, the report gives a lowish estimate for the number of Muslims in France (3.6m), as it does for the United States (2.5m); in both those countries, secular principles make it impossible to ask religious questions on a census.

Another set of data from Pew, albeit dating from last year, was at the heart of a report endorsed this week by two luminaries of inter-faith dialogue: Richard Chartres, the Anglican bishop of London, and Ali Gomaa, the grand mufti of Egypt.

In a change from the happy talk of many multi-faith exercises, the report grappled with some unpleasant trends: the rise, among Turks, of negative attitudes to Christians and Jews, and the rise in some European countries, like Spain, of anti-Muslim feeling. The fact that robed gentlemen are on good terms does not always lead to goodwill among their flocks.

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NGO Focus: Oxfam Indonesia - part 1

In Indonesia, Oxfam's focus is on livelihoods, gender equality, fair trade, education and emergency work.
Latest: Sumatra earthquake

Intro

Development

Campaign

Emergencies

Dealing with disasters

Indonesia lies on volcanic fault lines and faces a range of natural hazards including tropical flooding, earthquakes and drought, in addition to persistent conflict.

• 255,000 lives lost to natural disasters and conflict over the last three years
• 1.4 million people displaced from their homes

How Oxfam is helping

We have a number of contingency plans to help us react quickly to emergency situations in Indonesia. We also run conflict-resolution projects in areas such as Aceh and Papua where armed separatist movements have forced people from their homes.

The floods took all my belongings, I had nothing left apart from what I was wearing. The hygiene kits [Oxfam gave us] are important because they could help prevent potential health hazards.

Linda Arini, flood survivor, Jakarta

An NGO Child Protection Policy

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Take a look at this folks. We will discuss it when we meet on Thursday.

Part 1: Country Guidelines

This document is an appendix to [NGO] Child Protection Policy and Code of Conduct. It is recognized that laws and practice concerning child abuse will vary between countries. VSO UK advises each programme office to have information about the cultural context, the legal framework and guidance on the procedures if staff or volunteers are being accused of behaviour that raises Child Protection issues.

Here are several facts about Child Protection issues in Indonesia

* Around 60 percent of children under five in Indonesia do not have birth certificates.
* More than 3 million children are involved in dangerous work.
* About one third of commercial sex workers aged less than 18 years old.
* Between 40,000 and 70,000 other children have become victims of sexual exploitation.
* About 100,000 women and children are trafficked every year.
* About 5,000 chidren are in custody and 84 percent of them are being held in jails for adults.


Other than the facts above, a lot of children in Indonesia face violence at home, in the street and bullying by adults or peers. However, a lot of this violence remains hidden. Often the violence against children is considered socially normal since it is seen as a way to discipline them. This situation is rooted in the culture. In most communities social and cultural norms do not provide children with protection or respect. Traditional communities do not acknowledge that such incidents are any cause for concern.

Other problem is abuse against children and women living in conflict areas or areas that were once hit by disasters.

* Disputes between the various ethnic groups in Indonesia often trigger political conflict as well as conflict between the communities, religious groups, etc. particularly in Kalimantan, Sulawesi Tengah, Aceh and Papua
* Disasters have struck Indonesia over and over again partly because of its location on the edge of a tectonic plate. Thus it is very susceptible to strong earthquakes


Cases of violence in Indonesia are not apparent since there are no official reports available. The inadequate law enforcement also contributes to the lack of investigations of such cases. Hence, the doers of the violence receive no punishment and walk free from the law.

In 2002, the Indonesian government passed passed Law No. 23 on Child Protection which established the Commission on Child Protection in Indonesia (Komisi Perlindungan Anak Indonesia/ KPAI). However, the legal umbrella seems to be not yet effective in freeing Indonesian’s children from these fundamental problems.

Part 2: Legal Framework for Child Protection

1. Convention on the Rights of the Child
In 1990, with Presidential Decree No.36, Indonesia ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), effectively giving its requirements the force of domestic law.

2. Law Number 23 Year 1992 concerning Health
This establishes the right to health, government health services, family health, abortion, assisted reproduction, family planning, health services for children and the elderly, health in schools, and government financing of health services.

3. Law Number 3 Year 1997 concerning Child Court
This deals with criminal cases concerning children who are over 8 years old but less than 18 and not yet married. It deals with the care and protection of children who have broken the law.

4. Law Number 23 Year 2002 concerning Child Protection
This covers children's welfare, guaranteeing children's rights and their protection against violence and discrimination.

5. Law Number 20 Year 2003 concerning National Education System
This pertains to the National Education system which is divided into two major parts, formal and non-formal. Formal education is divided into three levels: primary, secondary and tertiary education. Every seven to fifteen year old citizen has the right to receive basic education.

6. Law Number 13 Year 2003 concerning Manpower
This lays out the protections and welfare safeguards of workers including children who work, particularity in the formal sector.

7. Law Number 23 Year 2004 on Elimination of Household Violence
This seeks to promote human rights, to achieve gender equality, to eliminate discrimination and to protect victims of violence, to punish perpetrators and to maintain the harmony of the household. This provides, specifically, for the protection of children in the family.

8. Law Number 12 Year 2006 concerning Republic of Indonesian Citizenship
This revised the citizenship law including Child Citizenship Acts e.g. legal status of (internationally) mixed marriage children, children who were born in Indonesia but to unknown parents etc.

9. Law Number 23 Year 2006 concerning Administration of Population Affairs
This relates to the determination, acknowledgment, protection and legal status of all population affairs including births and birth certificates.

10. Law Number 21 Year 2007 concerning Eradication of Human Trafficking Criminal Offence.
This legislates about the prevention of illegal commerce and trade in people, protection for the victims, raising awareness and cooperation and law enforcement for the criminals. Adopted children and children of trafficking victims can be protected under this law.

Part 3: Indonesia’s Attitude to Child Protection Issues

Prevailing cultural norms in Indonesian communities include the belief that parents will never ‘eat’ their own children, thus it is assumed that there are no parents who have bad intentions toward their own children, hence parents are not wrong. Parents beating their own children is seen as righteous and culturally acceptable. The same goes for religious leaders.

Government officers often consider that children in certain situations (living on the streets, involved in commercial sex, victims of drugs, etc.) represent social diseases or threats to the communities, instead of seeing them as people who need help. For example a child is punished for not being able to pay school fees or when a girl is pregnant. Government officers often consider that all actions by children that are against the law are simply crimes.

Due to the strong influence of culture and religions, children in Indonesia tend not to be empowered with the knowledge and capabilities necessary to protect themselves such as having the courage to report anything to parents or teachers. For example, children feel afraid to report to their teacher if they are subjected to violence at home by their parents or relatives.

Currently there are serious efforts being made to push the Indonesian Government towards child protection policies that are more systematic and comprehensive. Various studies and information campaigns have been conducted by universities, NGOs, and Government particularly on international support such as from UN agencies, International NGOs and bilateral cooperation.

Although these efforts are recognized, the system and mechanism of child protection are not yet agreed and regulated. Hence, communities are still confused when they are faced with cases presumed to involve violence, exploitation and neglect of children. They are uncertain about how to react to it. This confusion is a real problem which has to be faced when cases of violence against children are found in a community and this causes the handling of cases, in a way that is in the children’s best interests, to always occur too late. The efforts to promote child protection seem to be not showing meaningful progress. There is much discussion but the number of cases handled does not show significant results in comparison to the number of cases identified.

In accordance with Indonesian law, namely Law No. 23 Year 2002 Chapter XII (Criminal Sentences), the sanctions against the perpetrators of crimes against children will apply to both Indonesians and foreigners.

Examples of child protection cases involving foreigners in Indonesia are as follows:

* William Stuart Brown was sentenced to 13 years in prison di Karangasem, Bali in May 2004, for offences under Chapter 82 of Law No 23 Year 2002 concerning Child Protection.
* Another case was Donald Storen who was sentenced to 4 years in prison in Mataram, Lombok.
* Peter Smith was sentenced to 20 years in prison for torturing 6 children in South Jakarta.


Examples of child protection cases involving Indonesians are as follows:

Instances of under age marriage for girls are common in Africa and Asia, and Indonesia is no exception. A recent case was Pujiono Cahyo Widiyanto or the Syekh Puji case, who was arrested for marrying a 12 year old girl called Ulfa. He is currently in custody in Ambarawa Prison, Central Java. Syekh Puji was charged with offences under the Child Protection Law. This case has drawn a lot of attention from all across Indonesia. The Child Protection Commission played a role in recommending the investigation into the Syekh Puji case.

Another child protection case involved trafficking. Tony (52), accused of human trafficking of children in February 2007, was sentenced 3 years and 7 months in prison by the High Court in Medan, North Sumatra. Tony's offences were in contravention of Chapter 83 Law No 23 Year 2002 on Child Protection.

However there are still many examples of child protection cases which are not yet touched by law such as a child labour case di Jermal, North Sumatra. Many businessmen in Jermal face no legal sanctions for using child labour. These children have to work under bad conditions and receive very little payment.

Currently there are serious efforts being made to pressure the Indonesian Governement to make child protection policies more systematic and comprehensive. In order to make the system, which is in the process of being improved, more beneficial we of course have to think about the access issue (both physical and budget coverage), sensitivity toward problems and local capacities, as well as integration with the existing social-health-education system. Advocacy and socialization of the system must be conducted as best as possible so that it can gain communities' support and make sure the system is used optimally. Indonesia is a big country with a large population. Children, who number more than 70 million people, are entitled to protection. Thus, child protection is a giant challenge which cannot be solved in a short time period.

Tuesday's Vocabulary Quiz - The Answers

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1. 1

1. similar, 2. formulate, 3. context, 4. devised, 5. vertical,
6. impact, 7. usage, 8. summary, 9. denote , 10. arbitrary,
11. assigned, 12. criteria, 13. ignored, 4. data


1. 2

1. evident, 2. publishes, 3. involving, 4. negative,
5. environment, 6. evaluate, 7. range, 8. modified,
9. restricted, 10. derive, 11. varies, 12. pursued,
13. consists of


1. 3

1. m, 2. c, 3. a, 4. h, 5. b, 6. g, 7. j, 8. e, 9. l, 10. k,
11. i, 12. d, 13. f


1. 4

1. comply with, 2. equivalent, 3. specify, 4. is required,
5. obvious, 6. presuming, 7. guarantee, 8. methods,
9. imply, 10. sum, 11. proceeding, 12. concluded


1. 5

1. assess, 2. dominate, 3. definite, 4. approach,
5. potential, 6. elements, 7. components, 8. compensate,
9. subsequent, 10. distinct, 11. indicates, 12. regions,
13. prime


1. 6

1. valid reason, 2. new concept, 3. constant temperature,
4. new dimension, 5. analyse results, 6. establish a link,
7. tense atmosphere, 8. initial results, 9. leading role,
10. ultimate responsibility, 11. marital status,
12. put forward a hypothesis, 13. reverse the verdict,
14. minimum requirement

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Supplementary Reading - The Economist Special Report

Ask Adrian if you would like to get hold of the AUDIO VERSIONS of all the following articles.

The Special Report in the latest edition of The Ecomonist is on Indonesia. There are more than ten articles covering various topics. If you're serious about being an Indonesian undergradute studying business or accounting in an international programme, you should really set yourself the target of not only reading all these articles but also going over them very carefully looking for ideas that will help you write.

The first paragraph of each article is as follows: (you can click on the title to see the complete article)

A golden opportunity <<>

WHEN Suharto, Indonesia’s long-serving dictator, fell in 1998 the very integrity of the country seemed in doubt. It faced economic collapse, political chaos and fissile separatist insurgencies in Aceh, Papua and East Timor. Indonesia’s neighbours feared the worst: anarchy within Indonesia; a surge in Islamist extremism; an exodus of desperate boat-people; rampant piracy in some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

A golden chance <<>

COUNTRIES generally hit the headlines only when the news is bad. In Indonesia it has often been spectacularly bad. A decade ago there were fears that the country might disintegrate in a welter of violence, piracy and mass migration. Its former dictator, Suharto, set new standards for kleptocracy. As he fell in 1998, the economy collapsed. The Bali bombing of 2002 that killed more than 200 people was one of a series of such attacks, and the lingering danger of Islamic terrorism was recalled by another murderous blast in Jakarta in July this year. The country is prone to natural disasters too, from the tsunami that devastated parts of Sumatra in 2004 to this month’s deadly earthquake in Java.

More of the same, please <<>

ANY young democracy must clear two big hurdles. It must undergo a peaceful transition from a leader to an opponent, and it must see an incumbent win an election without credible cries of foul. Indonesia has now crossed both barriers. In its first direct presidential election in 2004, the incumbent, Megawati Sukarnoputri, lost to Mr Yudhoyono. Miss Megawati, daughter of Indonesia’s founding hero and leader of a tame opposition under Suharto, went into a sulk and boycotted Mr Yudhoyono’s swearing-in. But power was handed over smoothly enough.

Free to air <<>

HAD things turned out differently, Santoso might have been in jail or in exile by now. In the late 1990s, as chairman of the Association of Indonesian Journalists, a union formed to fight the restrictions of the Suharto years, he spent time in hiding. Now he is managing director of a thriving radio station whose programmes are syndicated to 650 stations in Indonesia and to ten other countries. One of the greatest victories of the reformasi movement of 1998 has been the freedom of the press.

Things do not fall apart <<>

THE Suharto regime used to argue that if East Timor became independent, it would set off an archipelagic chain reaction. So when in 1999 East Timor voted for independence, Indonesian soldiers and their local allies responded with a furious burst of arson and violence. With this disaster coming so soon after the Indonesian economy collapsed, there were fears that Indonesia might unravel. To make matters worse, an ethnically, linguistically and culturally diverse archipelago was dominated by Java and the Javanese. It still is.

Tolerance levels <<>

ONE day in June 2007 Dago Simamora, a junior high-school teacher in Palembang in South Sumatra, picked up his nine-year-old son from school. On the way home he was shot dead. His killer scooted away on a motorcycle. The police at first blamed the murder on a land dispute. Only when the culprits were arrested a year later did it emerge that Mr Simamora had been killed because he was a Christian, accused of trying to convert the girls in his class. In April this year ten members of the Palembang jihadist group that killed him were jailed on terrorism charges.

Surprise, surprise <<>

IN RUINS just a decade ago, Indonesia’s economy these days seems a remarkably sturdy structure. Having been worse hit than any other by the Asian economic crisis of 1997-98, it has, by some measures, weathered the global slump of 2008-09 surprisingly well. Economic growth has slowed by less than in most other big countries. In part that is a gauge of its underachievement compared with faster-growing China and India. Indonesia’s GDP growth will decline from 6.1% in 2008 and 6.3% in 2007 to perhaps 4% this year, compared with nearly 8% in China and 6% in India. But given Indonesia’s starting-point a decade ago, that is still impressive.

More than a single swallow <<>

THE best-maintained building in the remote village of Teluk Binjai in Riau province on Sumatra is neither the new, rather Spartan, wooden mosque nor one of the better-off local farmers’ stilt-raised bungalows. It is the home for swallows. A windowless structure, it is studded with rows of dozens of gleaming access chutes. Tapes of alluring music tempt the flighty gadabouts to make themselves at home. Their health-giving nests, once harvested, fetch between 8m and 15m rupiah per kilo in Pekanbaru, the provincial capital, and far more still when they reach their destination: China.

Not making it easy <<>

It does not help that Indonesia is suspicious of foreign investors. It posts a protectionist “negative list” of industries where FDI is capped, including pharmaceuticals, health care and construction. And it is constantly embroiled in disputes with foreign firms. In March, for example, an international arbitration panel ordered Newmont Mining, of America, and Sumitomo, of Japan, to sell some of their shares in a big copper-and-gold mine on Sumbawa island. And in June it banned imports of some models of BlackBerry smartphones, made by Canada’s Research In Motion.

A deep-rooted habit <<>

EVEN before passing through immigration into Indonesia, you may fall prey to the venal flair of its bureaucrats. Most of its embassies now refuse cash payments for visas, after a number of scandals. One ambassador in Malaysia, a former police chief, allegedly pocketed about 2 billion rupiah from unauthorised visa surcharges. But many visitors can now get visas on arrival, payable in cash. To close this tempting window, Ngurah Rai airport in Bali last October introduced an electronic visa-issuing system. By May this year officials at the airport had used it to steal an estimated 3 billion rupiah. Their ruse, to issue 30-day visas, which cost $25, but book them as seven-day ones at $10, was simple and, until spotted, lucrative. The story is typical of Indonesian officialdom’s greed, but also of the increasing efforts to thwart the corrupt.

Acacia avenue <<>

AS A spectacle, the four-hour drive to Teluk Binjai from Pekanbaru, capital of Riau province on the island of Sumatra, tends to the monochrome. Mile after mile of palm-oil plantation alternates with mile after mile of regimented lines of acacia trees, grown for pulpwood. Only an occasional banana grove or superannuated rubber plantation offers a spot of variety. Mountainously laden timber lorries ply the interprovincial highway, their loads of acacia logs almost brushing as they pass. In one direction is the mill of Indah Kiat Pulp and Paper, a subsidiary of APP, part of the Sinar Mas group; in the other that of APRIL, Sumatra’s other big pulp-and-paper producer.

Everybody's friend <<>

IN MOST other respects this is a golden age for Indonesian diplomacy. Its relations with its neighbours are sometimes prickly, especially with Malaysia, with which it squabbles over everything from maritime boundaries to the treatment of migrant workers. And there will always be some resentment of Singapore, a regional haven for the wealthy and, at times, a bolthole for fugitives from Indonesian justice. But these two are also partners with Indonesia in the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), so they are among its closest allies. In general Indonesia is on good terms with all countries.