Wednesday, November 26, 2008
News Analysis: Dream or Reality: RI's Role on the World Stage in 2025
How refreshing to hear someone else - someone other than Indonesia itself, that is analytically touting this country's potentially important international role in the coming decade.

Sri Mulyani to Support Businesses
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati confirmed that the government will always assist businesses in dealing with their problems. "The government will take care of the national economy," she said at the official opening the 2008 Investor Summit and Capital Expo yesterday.

Indonesia's Fuel Oil Consumption to Drop in 2009
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia's fuel oil consumption in 2009 is predicted to drop as a result of the global financial crisis.

RI's SME Products Still Competitive, Official
Jakarta - Products of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) are still competitive in the international market because of the richness in design and raw materials which are full of local wisdom, an official said.

Indonesia Banks to be More Selective in Providing Credits
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - National banks are likely to be more selective in extending credits to customers in the face of a slowing down of national economic growth as a result of the global financial crisis, a banker said.

KPK Eyeing to Evaluate Foreign Aid Allocation
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) plans to monitor the disbursement of foreign aid in the future, KPK Chairman Antasari Azhar said here Wednesday.

TNI to Obey Law on War to Prevent Violations
The Indonesian Military (TNI) has pledged to embrace international humanitarian law to prevent human rights violations from occurring during its operations.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Investors Asked to Support Government's Anticrisis Policies
Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has asked investors and market players in the country to support the government in its efforts to overcome the current crisis.

Government Determined to Keep 2009 Economic Growth Above Five Pct
Jakarta - Indonesia's economic growth in 2009 is estimated to drop below six percent as a consequence of the global economic slowdown but the government will do its best to keep it above five percent, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Sri Mulyani Indrawati said here Tuesday.

KADIN Hopes BI Rate to be Lowered to 8.5 Percent
Jakarta - The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) hopes the key rate can be lowered by 100 basis points to 8.5 percent to give the business sector an incentive to withstand the current global financial crisis.

House Speaker: Rp 500-Cut in Gasoline Price Should be Recalculated
Jakarta - House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Agung Laksono said the government should recalculate the Rp500 cut it is to make to the premium gasoline price starting next December 1 because the world oil price is continuing to drop.

Domestic Investments Decline By 54 Percent
TEMPO Interactive, Surakarta:Domestic investments up to September 2008 has declined by 54 percent compared to last year. The government is urging public agencies providing services to investors to improve their performance.

CPO Exports Projected to Yield US$ 9.1 Billion in 2008
Jakarta - The Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (Gapki) estimates that crude palmoil (CPO) exports will contribute US$ 9.1 million to the country's foreign echange earnings in 2008.

Election Contestants Urged to Address Women's Issues
The National Women's Commission has called on political parties contesting the 2009 legislative elections to address women's rights issues, citing the high number of discriminative policies and recent incidences of violence against women.

BRR Nias Prepares to Hand Over the Reins
The Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency on Nias Island (BRR Nias) has said more projects will continue after its tenure expires next month, including those aimed at alleviating poverty and sustaining the local economy.

Monday, November 24, 2008
President: Poverty Also Security Issue
Lima - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that poverty is also a security issue and to tackle poverty also means to prevent political instability and safeguard the common future.

APEC Agrees to Strengthen Cooperation on Financial Crisis Handling
Lima, Peru - Leaders of APEC's member economies had agreed to keep carrying out measures and strengthen cooperation in a coordinative and comprehensive way to implement a clear policy in facing crisis.

President Yudhoyono Demands Oil States Take Crisis Action
Lima (ANTARA News) - Oil-rich states and companies that reaped unprecedented gains when prices skyrocketed have a moral duty to ease the world's economic crisis, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Friday.

Finance Minister: Government, BI Keep On Guarding Banking Situation
Bukittinggi - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said the government and Bank Indonesia (BI) were continuously monitoring and ensuring the safety of the situation in the banking sector, in an afford to ease the impact of the current global financial crisis.

Indonesian Growth Forecast to Slide to 2.5 percent
Indonesia's economy will still end up this year with a forecast growth in gross domestic product of nearly 6 percent mainly on the back of robust expansion in the first three quarters.

Quick-Counts Pose Threat
Quick counts by pollsters and low voter registration could be the factors most likely to provoke clashes among supporters of rival candidates in next year's presidential election, a seminar warned Saturday.

Government Asks Bloggers to Help Promote RI's Tourism
Jakarta - Indonesian Culture and Tourism minister Jero Wacik has asked the blogger community to help promote Indonesia's tourist sites among the international public.

Friday, November 21, 2008
Reduced Budget Deficit Forecast for 2008: Government
Indonesia's budget deficit is forecast to drop to 1.1 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) this year due to lower-than-expected spending and a rise in tax revenues, the Finance Ministry says.

Next Year Critical Point for Indonesian Economy
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The government stated next year as a critical point for the Indonesian economy due to the global financial crisis.

Jakarta Composite Index Down 2.15 Percent
Jakarta - The Jakarta composite share price index dropped 2.15 percent or 25.387 points to 1,154.970 while the LQ45 index fell 5.685 points or 2.54 percent to 218.381 on Thursday.

RI's Economy to Grow 4.8 pct in 2009: Economist
Jakarta - Bank Mandiri's chief economist Mirza Adityaswara said Indonesia's economic growth in 2009 would slow down by around one percent to 4.84 percent compared to 6.1 percent projected for this year.

RI Airlines to Fly Lower in 2009 on Crisis
Domestic airlines are scaling back their revenue growth target for next year as the global economic slowdown is likely to slash the number of travelers and a declining currency will heavily impact on the financial sustainability of the airlines.

For VP Kalla it's a Case of Whoever Wins He Loses
Victory or defeat for the Golkar Party in next year's legislative elections could spell certain doom for Vice President and party chairman Jusuf Kalla, analysts say.

Indonesia Want Access to Jailed Terror Suspect
Indonesia will seek access to an alleged Southeast Asian terror chief after the United States closes its prison at Guantanamo Bay, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Law Enforcement Against Corruption Not Yet Optimal: Police Chief
Jakarta - National Police Chief Gen Bambang Hendarso Danuri has admitted that efforts to enforce the law in fighting corruption in the country were not yet maximal due to various factors related to the ways in which laws were implemented and to people's culture.

Aceh, US, Brazilian Governors to Cooperate to Reduce Greenhouse Emission
Banda Aceh - Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf has signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on reducing greenhouse gas emission with counterparts from the US, Brazil and Papua, a Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) official said.

Regencies to Receive 60 % Compensation Fund of Carbon Trade
Ten regencies in West Sumatra will receive a large portion of compensation fund from selling carbon trade that will be done in cooperation with Australian-based Carbon Strategic Global (CSG).

Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Yudhoyono : RI, Brazil Should Help Solve Global Problems
Brasilia - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that Indonesia and Brazil need to develop the potentials they have in common in order to contribute to the solution of global problems such as the present world financial crisis.

Government Takes Steps to Increase Industrial Growth
Jakarta - The Indonesian government has taken several steps to strengthen the non-trade sector, especially industry, an official said.

Indonesia Economic and Investment Climate still Promising
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government should continue to show to the international community that Indonesia's economic conditions and investment climate are still promising despite the global economic crisis, a minister said.

Exports Slow, but Service Sector Remains Promising
Greater Jakarta could start to suffer the impact from the global financial turmoil by the first semester next year, with manufacturers likely to downsize, an official at the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) said Tuesday.

Government May End Fuel Subsidy Next Year
The government may entirely end subsidizing fuel prices next year by adjusting subsidized prices to market prices, but up to a certain limit, a senior Finance Ministry official says.

Indonesia House Speaker to Become APA Chairman
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Agung Laksono will be installed as Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) chairman at the 3rd APA meeting here on November 27-29, 2008.

Family now Priority in RI's Economic Development : Minister
Nusa Dua, Bali - Indonesia has begun to make the family a priority in its human and economic development efforts, according to Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008
G20 Summit Declaration Reduces Indonesia's Budget Financing Fear, Official Says
Jakarta - Indonesia's fear about financing of the 2009 budget deficit has been eased following the declaration made by leaders of Group of 20 countries at their meeting in Washington recently.

RI Economy Grew 6.1 pct in Third Quarter 2008
Jakarta - The Indonesian economy expanded by 6.1 percent in the third quarter of 2008, driven by high exports, investment and consumption albeit at a slow pace.

VP: Now Right Time to Invest in Infrastructure Sector
Jakarta - Vice President Jusuf Kalla said now was the right time for the government as well as private enterprises to invest in the infrastructure sector as the prices of commodities were down.

News Focus: RI Working All-Out to Prevent Entry of Illegal Goods
Jakarta - Indonesia is now making all-out efforts to ward off a possible influx of illegal imports amid the global financial crisis.

Indonesian Anti Corruption Body to Coop with FBI
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is to cooperate with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in developing its capability to combat corruption in Indonesia.

Government to Escort but not to Meddle the 2009 Elections
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Home affairs minister Mardiyanto expressed the government's readiness to escort the implementation of the country's general elections in 2009.

Climate Change Law Urgent: Scholars
Indonesia is in dire need of a special law on climate change authorizing the environment ministry to execute and monitor a national action plan to mitigate climate change, experts say.

Monday, November 10, 2008
RI to Highlight Democracy as a Strategic Agenda
The Indonesian government is striving to launch an initiative to put democracy as a strategic agenda on a regional discourse, the foreign minister revealed Sunday evening in Denpasar, Bali.

Bali to Remain Main Holiday Destination for Australians
Denpasar (ANTARA News) - To Australians, Bali will continue to be a main holiday destination because of its geographical proximity and unique attractions, a local tourism official said.

Standard & Poor's Retains Stable Outlook on Indonesia's Debt Rating
Global rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) has maintained its outlook on Indonesia' debt rating as stable, thanks partly to a declining level of debt and improvements in monetary policy management.

Kadin Warns Heyday Over, Time for Strong Government Measures
The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), the country's most powerful business lobby, has requested the government to strengthen and consolidate the business sector to help limit the impact of the global financial crisis.

Fifteen Banks Ready to Cut Their Lending Rates by 2-3 Pct: Chamber
Ternate, N Maluku - Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) MS Hidayat said 15 large banks will cut their lending rates by 2-3 percent if the government provides a full guarantee on all bank deposits.

Industry Ministry Proposes Four Steps to Protect Domestic Steel Industry
Bandung - The Industry Ministry has proposed four steps to protect the national industry from the impact of the current global financial crisis.

Friday, November 7, 2008
No Immediate Change in US Policies Toward RI : Observer
Jakarta - An economic observer believes that Barack Obama's victory in the US presidential election on Tuesday (Nov.4) will not immediately change Washington's economic policies toward Indonesia.

U.S. Election Gives RI Politicians Lessons in Grace: Analysts
A sporting attitude and a tradition of respect from the losing side are all lessons in grace that Indonesia can take from the U.S. presidential election, in its own quest to nurture democracy, experts and politicians said Thursday.

RI Media Talk about Presidential Hopefuls
Jakarta - Indonesian mass media representatives here Thursday gave their opinions on the criteria the country's next president should meet on the occasion of the launching of a website of the Indonesian Journalist Association (PWI) at a function organized by ANTARA News Agency.

FM Lead Indonesia Delegation to Meeting with Australia
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda will lead the Indonesian delegation to the 9th meeting of the Australia-Indonesia Ministerial Forum to be held in Canberra on November 11 to 12.

Indonesia Considers Taiwan-China Meeting Positive
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government considered the Chinese meeting with Taiwan government a positive action, a spokesperson of the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

Poll: Indians, Indonesians Most Positive in Asia in Face of Slump
Hong Kong (ANTARA News/dpa) - India and Indonesia have Asia's highest levels of consumer confidence in the face of the global economic slump, according to a survey published Friday.

News Focus: Indonesia Lowers Subsidized Premium Gasoline Price
Jakarta, (ANTARA News) - After various calls and public pressures, the government finally decided on Thursday to lower the price of subsidized premium gasoline from Rp6,000 to Rp5,500 per liter effective on December 1, 2008.

RI Forex Reserves Sufficient for Over Four Months : BI Official
Jakarta - Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves are currently not in a precarious condition as they are still sufficient to finance its need for imports over a period of more than four months, a Bank Indonesia (BI or central bank) official said.

BI Holds Rate to Keep Rupiah Attractive
After six increases this year, the central bank maintained its key interest rate at 9.5 percent Thursday to provide room for the economy to grow, while keeping the rupiah attractive to avoid a further slide.

Thursday, November 6, 2008
News Focus: Obama's Victory Expected to Strengthen RI-US Ties
Jakarta - The bilateral relations between Indonesia and the United States are expected to improve following US Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's victory in the November 4 presidential elections although certain quarters reminded that Indonesia should not hope too much from the new development.

RI Called on to Seize Economic Opportunities Following Obama's Victory
Jakarta - Indonesia must be able to seize economic opportunities following the victory of Barack Obama in the United States presidential election, an economic observer said.

Legislator Hopes With Obama's Victory RI-US Defense Cooperation to Increase
Jakarta - Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR)'s Commission I which deals with defense affairs, Yusron Ihza Mahendra hopes that Barack Obama's victory in the United States presidential election will lead to increased defense cooperation between Indonesia and the United States.

Indonesia Revises Tourist Targets
The global economic slowdown has forced the tourism ministry to revise down its targets for numbers of foreign tourist arrivals for 2008 and 2009 by 9 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

Kadin Wants More Funds for Real Sector
The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has asked the government to add Rp 10 trillion (US$950 million) to the funds set aside for next year to help cushion the real sector from the impact of the global economic slowdown.

Forestry Service to Plant 20 Million Trees
TEMPO Interactive, Semarang: The state forestry company Perum Perhutani in Central Java will plant twenty million trees by the end of this year in various places in Central Java. "This is in order to create a green Central Java and to anticipate landslides and floods," said Perhutani's chairman for Unit I Central Java Sri Puryono, yesterday.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Indonesia President Congratulates Barrack Obama and US
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono congratulated Barrack Obama here on Wednesday after Obama won the United States` presidential election.

RI Vice President Congratulates Obama
Jakarta - Vice President Jusuf Kalla here on Wednesday congratulated US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on winning his country's presidential poll.

`Obama Wins,` Pronounce Indonesian Sixth-Graders
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Students at US presidential candidate Barrack Obama's old primary school in Indonesia were prematurely celebrating his election win Wednesday, and looking forward to his first presidential visit.

President Proposes Single Currency
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has proposed the use of one single global currency to prevent pressures on currencies, in particularly the rupiah, when economic crisis hits. This can at least maintain the stability of currency rates in each country and protect it against pressures of other currencies.

RI Reviewing Plan to Form Center for Peacekeeping Force Mission
Jakarta - Indonesia is reviewing a plan to form a center for peacekeeping force mission it has pioneered in 2006 to help implement the UN mandate in overcoming conflicts in the world, an official said.

RI`s Forex Reserves Down to US$51 Billion in October
Jakarta, (ANTARA News) - The amount of Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves reached around US$51 billion at the end of October 2008, down nearly US$7 billion from US$57.108 billion in September, a Bank Indonesia (BI or central bank) official said.

Fuel Price Reduction Considering Real Sector Incentives
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The fuel price reduction plan is not only reconsidering the national budget but also how big is the impulse to boost the real sectors.

Government Eyes Voter-Friendly Lowering of Subsidized Fuel Prices
The government may soon lower the prices of subsidized Premium gasoline and diesel by up to 13.9 percent on average to better reflect the recent decline in world crude oil prices, an energy ministry official said Tuesday.

Government to Reduce Penalties for Corruption Whistle-Blowers
The newly founded Witness Protection Program Institute (LPSK) has started preliminary talks with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on reduced punishments and witness protection for corruption case whistle-blowers.

Law on Pornography Should not be Likened to Islamization
Medan (ANTARA News) - The enactment of the law on anti pornography and pornoaction (APP) could not be likened to the process of Islamization on the ground that it was only aimed at safeguarding the morality of their nationals.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Many Changes in RI-Japan Relations Over Past 50 Years : Official
Jakarta - Indonesia-Japan diplomatic relations in the past 50 years have gone through a lot of changes, Nobuhide Minorikawa, Japanese Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs said here on Monday.

President: RI Should Strive to Become Economically Self-Reliant
Bogor - Indonesia should gradually become economically self-reliant in order not to be easily affected by global crises, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in his scientific oration to mark the 45th anniversary of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (ITB) here on Tuesday.

Jakarta Stock Exchange Index Up 7.64 pct
Jakarta - With the inflation rate in October officially reported to have declined, the Jakarta Stock Exchange (BEI) index on Monday closed 7.84 percent or 96,012 points higher at 1,362,716.

RI Enjoyed US$1.09 Billion Trade Surplus in September
Jakarta - Indonesia enjoyed a US$1.09 billion trade surplus in September 2008, the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said here on Monday.

Financial Crisis Affects Japanese Investments
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Japanese investments in Indonesia is likely to be affected by the global financial crisis. President of the Jakarta-Japan Club, Seiji Komuro, said the number of projected investments next year is likely to decline. "It's not that we don't want to invest, but if the world's finances are not improving, we must tighten our belts," he said yesterday.

Foreign Tourist Arrivals Recorded at 4.57 Million
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Central Bureau Statistics (BPS) said that the number of foreign tourists arrivals in the country in the January-September 2008 period had reached 4.57 million.

Culture Minister Launches Indonesian Film Festival 2008
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Minister of Tourism and Culture Jero Wacik launched an Indonesian Film Festival 2008 on Tuesday with a hope that the event could encourage improvement in the country's films in the future.

Prince Charles Visits Islamic Boarding School in Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - Visiting Prince Charles of Britain observed the activities of students at the Ali Maksum Islamic boarding school in Bantul on his visit to Yogyakarta on Tuesday.

Monday, November 3, 2008
Most Indonesians Satisfied with SBY's Performance: Survey
A recent survey by The Indonesian Research and Development Institute (IRDI) has revealed most Indonesians are satisfied with the performance of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

New Commission to Help Palestinians do Business
A plan to establish an ad hoc commission to develop Palestinian resources capped a three-day meeting of NGOs concerned with Palestinian problems in Jakarta on Sunday.

RI to Continue Supporting Palestine
Indonesia has reaffirmed its support for Palestinian independence and pledged to mobilize humanitarian aid, particularly in empowering capacity building, during a conference that began Friday in Jakarta.

RI Needs Leader Capable of Self-Sacrifices: Former Muhammadiyah Leader
Padang - Indonesia needs leaders who are willing to make self-sacrficies for a bigger cause, former chairman of Muhammadiyah, one of Indonesia's largest Moslem organizations, Prof Dr Ahmad Syafii Maarif, said here on Saturday.

Parties Sacrifice Nationhood for Political Gain
Senior politician Theo L. Sambuaga looked uneasy when asked why his Golkar Party, which boasts a nationalist platform, voted for the controversial pornography bill.

Rupiah Strengthens Further Monday Afternoon
Jakarta - The rupiah strengthened further on Monday afternoon in the Jakarta inter-bank spot market, following an announcement by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) on the October inflation rate which had dropped to 0.45 percent from 0.97 percent in the preceding month.

President: Close RI-Japan Ties Asset to Face Future Challenges
Jakarta - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has stated that the close ties between Indonesia and Japan will become a valuable asset for both nations in facing various challenges in the future.

Government Calls State-Owned Companies Use Domestic Products
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government will soon produce a regulation ordering the use of domestic products in the ministries, state-owned and regional government-owned companies.

Tourism Ministry Signs MOU with WWF
Manado - The Indonesian ministry of tourism and culture has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) on eco-tourism development for the next three years.

Indonesia to be Self-Sufficient in Rice this Year: BPS
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) predicted that Indonesia would achieve self-sufficiency in rice in 2008 because based on the estimate its rice production this year would increase by 3.12 million tons of unhusked rice (GKG) or about 5.56 percent of the production in 2007.

Prince Charles Meets with Religious Leaders
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Visiting Prince Charles of Britain met with several religious leaders at a Conference on Religion and the Environment organized by the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Islamic organization here on Monday.