Regret
There’s a lot of regret going around these days. Democrats, who lost a close election, no doubt regret they didn’t do more to convince Midwest rust belt voters worried about their future that they had a viable jobs plan. President Trump regrets he didn’t win the popular vote — although he seems to actually think […]
Honking in the Free World
Commentary by Wayne Forrest Their signs read “Om Telolet Om”. It simply means, “sir, honk your horn, sir”. Young girls and boys, especially in Jakarta, hold them up for passing bus drivers, hoping to prompt them to play their musical horns as they drive by. It’s a fun, clean game with instant rewards, especially given […]
Ahok, Trump, and The Way Forward
Commentary by Wayne Forrest Saying anything about a Trump Administration and its effect on US- Indonesia relations now could prove to be a fool’s enterprise, but this month’s commentary will take a shot, doing so by way of the controversy surrounding Basuki “Ahok” Purnama’s troubled bid to remain Jakarta’s governor. With the precedent set by […]
Two Years In
Two years into his 5 year term President Jokowi is exhibiting some of the qualities of former President Suharto. I say this not to compare them in any fundamental way – Jokowi is not an authoritarian- but to illustrate the process by which each consolidated power in the early years after they became President. Jokowi […]
The Big Number
Commentary by Wayne Forrest AMCHAM Indonesia and the US Chamber of Commerce recently released the fourth in their terrific annual series of reports that collectively put the US as perhaps Indonesia’s largest overall economic partner. The first 3 reports (2013-2015) established the case for the US designation as the largest foreign investor. With this year’s […]
Educated Abroad
Commentary by Wayne Forrest Indonesia has always had an ambivalent attitude towards foreigners, foreign investment, and Indonesians educated abroad. I began thinking about this during the latest Cabinet reshuffle when several highly successful Indonesians returned from long stints abroad. 71 years after independence it still isn’t an easy transition for an Indonesian to return or […]
Cabinet Rebalance 2.0- The Avoidance of Conflict
Commentary by Wayne Forrest The avoidance of conflict and embarrassment can be a strong dynamic in Javanese culture. In the world of the shadow puppets (wayang), a balanced, steady state is the ideal. The arc of most wayang stories is from stability to a disturbance that yields a conflict to the restoration of order. Politeness, […]
Changing Ambassadors
President Obama has nominated Joseph R. Donovan Jr. to be America’s next Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia. Hon. Robert Blake served his last full day as ambassador on Monday, July 18, and is heading back to United States and retiring from the foreign service. Donovan Bionotes: [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” […]
A Strong Appointment
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] The prospect for deep reforms in Indonesia has always depended on how independent the outsider President Jokowi could be from the country’s sclerotic political party system. His supporters –who detect a […]
Golkar Returns
For those familiar with Indonesian politics Golkar is the party synonymous with Indonesia’s economic development. More than a just a political party, Golkar was an amalgamation of various “functional groups” (military, government bureaucrats, farmer’s organizations, etc.) that implemented the New Order government’s economic agenda. Golkar was engineered to be a partner of the government and […]