Indonesia: Singapore stands ready to support Indonesia's haze mitigation efforts

Indonesia's Joko Widodo in World Economic Fourm Jakarta.

2017/05/29 Amid the 2017 Jakarta Election, some loosely interpreted laws (such as regarding blasphemy, anti-Pancasila, and treason) have frequently been used as a tool for political manoeuvre both by the establishment and the opposition. The majority prominent victim of this exploitation of democratic space is the incumbent Jakarta Governor, Basuki Tjahya Purnama. Political balancing nuanced the government’s intention to disband Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), one of the mobilising forces behind the anti–Basuki Tjahya Purnama (Ahok) series of rallies throughout Indonesia. Indeed, the government has been closely monitoring HTI for years, due to suspicion over their activities promoting world Islamic caliphate ideology, which is deemed incompatible with Indonesia’s democratic values.

Seychelles promotes eco-culture tourism in Kutai Kartanegara, Indonesia

2017/05/29 Seychelles recently organized the visit of 15 youths and students from 8 nations to Kutai Kartanegara in East Kalimantan as part of its effort to help promote compassionate destinations of eco-culture in Indonesia. Seychelles Appropriate Envoy for ASEAN, Mr. Nico Barito, said the youth and students came from France, the Netherlands, Japan, Liberia, Madagascar, Belgium, Dominican Republic, and Italy.

Government enacts large-scale infrastructure development to boost long-term economic growth and improve national competitiveness

2017/05/28 Government enacts large-scale infrastructure development to boost long-term economic increase and improve national competitiveness As Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s longest-serving prime minister and the initial woman to have been elected to that office once famously said, “You and I come by road or rail, but economists travel on infrastructure”. This wry observation rings particularly authentic at the same time as applied to Indonesia today. Since the establishment of the Republic in 1949, the Indonesian economy and social development that has been held back by a pronounced lack in the quality and quantity of its infrastructure. Certainly this is due to the lack of investment during the colonial period and the vast damage inflicted onto the country by World War Two and the subsequent struggle for independence.

SOEs increase capacity to accelerate infrastructure development

2017/04/19 SOEs such as PT PP will be critical to realizing Indonesia’s infrastructure ambitions. The company has ambitions beyond this, with plans to become ASEAN’s major integrated construction company by 2018 Spearheading Indonesia’s infrastructure boom are efforts by the country’s national-owned enterprises (SOEs). Following dramatic increases in national budget allocation, the construction phases of a number of key projects were implemented by these organizations over the last schedule year, such as the Trans-Sumatra toll road, which is under construction.