From My Point of View

Asia is taking an ever bigger role on the global stage. However, income disparity between countries — or even within one country — is still on the rise. What specifically needs to be done to reduce poverty in the region? Matthew Hulbert provides his perspective | | | When Asian leaders gathered in London in early March 2006 to discuss regional development under the title “Asia 2015,” the famous dictum issued by Mao in 1958, which set China’s goal to “surpass Britain and catch up with America” — was ringing loud in many Western years. As well it might, given that China’s economy is already overtaking the United Kingdom. And by 2040, will be larger than the United States, according to Goldman Sachs. India, for its part is set to outstrip the Japanese economy by 2032. In total, Asia not only accounts for 40% of the world’s population, but garners a fifth of global production. Poverty stricken The exponential growth of the Asian economy is not the whole story, of course. For all its succes...

January 29, 2008 by Walter Lohman and Anthony B. Kim At 40 years of age, the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN)--which encompasses the five original member countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand and the newer member countries of Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, and Vietnam--is the oldest and largest organization of its kind in Asia. ASEAN countries have a combined population of more than 500 million people--larger than the population of the European Union. Their combined gross domestic product (GDP) exceeds $1 trillion, which is the 11th largest in the world, ahead of Russia and India.[1] ASEAN has committed itself to making the most of its collective strength by achieving an integrated, lib­eral market. Ten years ago in Kuala Lumpur, ASEAN launched ASEAN Vision 2020, which calls for creat­ing "a stable, prosperous and highly competitive ASEAN Economic Region in which there is a free flow of goods, services and investments, a freer flow...

By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Writer JAKARTA, Indonesia — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates vowed Monday to help Indonesia reform its military, saying the U.S. was ready to help provide airlift and other maritime capabilities the country needs. And in what appeared to be a response to previous Indonesian criticism that the United States can be overbearing in its foreign and military policies, Gates said the U.S. can play a supportive role as countries like Indonesia map out their own futures. "From time to time, we have strayed from our ideals and we have been arrogant in dealing with others," Gates said in a speech to the Indonesian Council on World Affairs. "In the end, we have always realized that our own democracy's strength ultimately depends on the strength and independence of other democracies around the world — including new ones such as Indonesia." He emphasized America's ongoing commitment to the region, but also said nations in the area ...

The Defense secretary says the U.S. is willing to sell weapons to the key Southeast Asian ally. By Peter Spiegel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer February 26, 2008 JAKARTA, INDONESIA -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that the U.S. was still willing to sell Indonesia new weaponry, particularly for its navy and air force. But he cautioned that democracies must have firm civilian control of their militaries, which must be disciplined for human rights abuses. Gates praised Jakarta for moving to professionalize its military, which for decades under former President Suharto ruled the archipelago with an iron fist until the dictator was deposed a decade ago. Although Gates did not criticize the Indonesian military's current conduct, he emphasized that democracies must investigate and prosecute allegations of corruption or abuse within their armed forces. "In addition to the importance of civilian control of the military, there cannot be even a taint of corruption or a h...

Mark Forbes, Jakarta February 20, 2008 INDONESIAN Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari claims the United States and World Health Organisation are part of a global conspiracy to profit from the spread of bird flu, and the US may use samples to produce biological weapons. The views of Dr Supari, outlined in her new book, It's Time for the World to Change, threaten to undermine efforts to control the spread of avian influenza and prevent it becoming a global pandemic. Indonesia is the new hot spot for the virus, with recent deaths raising the local toll to 104, nearly half the world's total. Despite claims by Dr Supari — described on the book's cover as the "divine hand behind avian influenza" — that she has forged a new agreement to share virus samples and allow all nations access to resulting vaccines, Indonesia still blocks the sharing of samples from human victims. Inquiries by The Age reveal the ban has been widened to include samples from chickens, which are inf...

By John Aglionby in Jakarta and Amy Kazmin in Bangkok Published: February 21 2008 23:12 | Last updated: February 21 2008 23:12 Indonesia became the first big developing country on Thursday to criticise Burma’s draft constitution, which entrenches military rule by banning leading opposition activists from politics, including Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel prize-winning democracy advocate. Hassan Wirajuda, Indonesia’s foreign minister, said the constitution should be revised before being put to a national referendum in May, to ensure that the interests of opposition and minority groups were protected. His comments were made days after Burma’s military rulers publicly clarified that Ms Suu Kyi, now a widow, would be prohibited from contesting Burma’s planned 2010 elections because she had married a foreigner. “We hope that in the period between now and May, a process of consultation will take in input from these groups so that the draft constitution which will be voted on will be comprehensi...

By John Aglionby in Jakarta Published: February 23 2008 01:16 | Last updated: February 23 2008 01:16 A United Nations envoy will hold talks with Burma’s ruling junta over the country’s “road map to democracy”, including its plans to bar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from taking part in elections. Early this month the junta said it would hold a referendum in May on a new constitution, followed by elections in 2010. However, Ms Suu Kyi has been banned from the vote because she is the widow of a foreigner. “This is one of the issues I intend to discuss with the authorities in Myanmar [Burma],” Ibrahim Gambari, the UN secretary-general’s special envoy on Burma, said on Friday in Jakarta, as part of his regional tour before going to the country early next month. Burma, he said, should revise the proposed constitution to include the interest of opposition and minority groups before it is put to a referendum. Otherwise it would have no credibility, he said. Mr Gambari said the military s...

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesia and Germany said Wednesday they want to work together in the energy sector to generate renewable, cleaner sources of energy, in efforts to curtail climate change. Germany's foreign minister and Vice-Chancellor Frank-Walter Steinmeier is on a three-day visit to build relations with Indonesia and has met with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his counterpart Hassan Wirayuda and the secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Surin Pitsuwan. Steinmeier should fly to Singapore on Thursday and then on to Vietnam. Hassan said, "We discussed energy cooperation to provide electricity, whether from nuclear-fired power plants or other types of plants, especially looking at Germany's specialty in coal-fired plants". "We hope we can produce cleaner energy," he said. Indonesia is heavily dependent on its depleting fossil fuel reserves. It has become a net oil importer is now searching for sui...

By Chad Bouchard International agencies are helping Indonesia prepare for a massive country-wide election in 2009 that will include local offices in hundreds of districts. As Chad Bouchard reports from Jakarta, election officials hope to avoid past mistakes. Indonesia is getting an early start as the country prepares for presidential and local elections next year. It will be the second democratic presidential election since President Suharto stepped down in 1998. The UN Development Program's country director in Indonesia, Haakan Bjorkman, says the international community wants Indonesia's elections to be clean and fair. "Indonesia has emerged as the strongest and most healthy democracy in Southeast Asia, so we predict in 2009 that all eyes will be on Indonesia to see if the election assistance can work in a good way. And that this success story can continue," said Bjorkman. "The stakes are very high for this region." Indonesia's parliament is considering...

JAKARTA, INDONESIA: Press organisations in Indonesia will request the Constitutional Court to review defamation articles in the Criminal Code, following the district court's conviction of senior journalist Bersihar Lubis. The Depok District Court sentenced Bersihar to one month in prison Wednesday (20 Feb), before suspending his sentence and requiring three month's probation. Bersihar was put on trial for insulting the Attorney General's Office (AGO) with his opinion article in Koran Tempo daily newspaper, titled Kisah Interogator yang Dungu (The Story of Stupid Interrogators). The court found him guilty, saying he violated article 207 of the Criminal Code on insulting public institutions. Presiding judge Suwidya said while Bersihar was an opinion writer, he should be accountable for the content of his work. Press Legal Aid executive director Hendrayana said the organisation would ask for judicial reviews of the Criminal Code articles, including article 207, which had viola...

The Alliance of Independent Journalist (AJI) Indonesia welcomes a Constitutional Court ruling stating that three articles of law prohibiting insult of the president - namely, Article 134, Article 136 bis, and Article 137 of the Criminal Code - are not legally binding because they violate the 1945 Constitution. According to local news site “Tempo Interaktif”, in July 2006, lawyer Eggy Sudjana and political activist Pandapotan Lubis applied for a constitutional review of the articles, which they said violated Article 27 point (1), Article 28, Article 28E point (2) and point (3), Article 28F, and Article 28j point (1) and point (2) of the 1945 Constitution. In its ruling on the matter on 6 December 2006, the Constitutional Court stressed that the provisions were invalid because they were overridden by the principle of equality before the law. The provisions also curbed freedom of expression, freedom of information and the principle of legal certainties. The provisions created legal uncert...

Indonesian authorities have given the go-ahead to build the country's first nuclear power plant on the densely-populated island of Java, with the aim of producing electricity by 2016. Atomic and Nuclear Energy Agency spokesman Deddy Harsono says the site of the project, the Muria peninsula on Central Java province's north-east coast, was chosen for its tectonic and volcanic stability - a major concern in a country that sees regular eruptions and earthquakes. Mr Harsono says the project will be tendered in 2008, for start of construction in 2010 and production in 2016. The project, which was shelved in 1997 due to mounting public opposition and the discovery and exploitation of the large Natuna gas field, involves the construction of four plants, each with a 1,000 megawatt capacity. Under the original plans, 12 nuclear power plants were slated for the northern coast of Java, with a total capacity of 7,000 megawatts. Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country with mo...

The Jakarta Post - September 26, 2007 Mas Achmad Santosa and Nenad Bago, Jakarta During his visit to the U.S. to attend the UN General Assembly this week, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is slated to meet World Bank President Robert Zoellick to discuss the joint World Bank-UNODC Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) Initiative Report. This report ranked former president Soeharto at the top of its list of the most corrupt political leaders. Soeharto's ill-gotten money is estimated at between US$15 billion and $35 billion, which he allegedly embezzled during his tenure from 1967 to 1998. The essence of the StAR Initiative, prepared by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Bank (WB), is to introduce an action plan that emphasizes international and global cooperation to help victim countries (i.e., developing countries) recover assets stolen and hidden by former political leaders and their associates. StAR also underlines the critical importance of cooperation be...

Indonesia’s Muslim educators support democracy, but grapple with how to make that commitment consistent with Islamic law. *Robert W Hefner* Ever since the Taliban rolled into Kabul, Afghanistan on 26 September 1996, many people have asked whether Islamic schools are the fount from which contemporary Islamist radicalism flows. In the weeks following the departure of Indonesia’s authoritarian President Suharto in May 1998, political observers expressed similar concerns about Indonesia’s Islamic schools. Just days after Suharto’s departure, dozens of Islamist paramilitaries, many with ties to Islamic boarding schools, sprang up in towns across the country. Many launched ‘sweeping’ campaigns, looking for alleged purveyors of drugs, alcohol, and sex, as well as young women unfortunate enough to be found out and about without a head scarf. In several locales, militias engaged in street-battles with Christians, democracy activists, and even the local police. More than anything else, however...

Preachers to the converted Dec 13th 2007 | JAKARTA From /The Economist/ print edition The persuasive powers of reformed jihadists are being used to “re-educate” terrorists. MEETING Nasir Abas at one of Indonesia's trendiest hotels, it is hard to imagine that this polite man in casual Western clothes was once a leader of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), the region's most dangerous terrorist group. Now his job is to persuade his former comrades to give up the idea of perpetrating violence against the West in the name of Islam. As he explains in his mild-mannered way, he uses two lines of argument. One is theological: he points out the verses in the Koran that forbid aggressive warfare, and which insist that the lives of non-combatants, especially women and children, must be protected. The other line is more strategic: to convince his listeners that not all Westerners are anti-Muslim, he stresses the fact that many Americans opposed the war in Iraq. And he challenges them: have terrorist ...