Indonesia As the New India

It is better for Indonesia to grant freedom to Aceh and Papua. Otherwise will be like a festering sore .

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OBAMA PROXIMO PRESIDENTE NORTEAMERICANO. , TRANSFORMACIÓN SOCIAL-CULTURAL. Su gobierno se implementara políticas en los valores: del respeto a la vida, la libertad, la solidaridad, la tolerancia, los derechos humanos. su programa de gobierno EL DESARROLLO, el desarrollo económico, industrial, empresarial- Energético, y el desarrollo aplicado a la reducción de LA POBREZA, Desarrollo Agrario-rural-cultural, entramado de medidas, tecnologías para la sostenibilidad con educación para la sostenibilidad. DESARROLLO CULTURAL, REFORMA IMIGRGATORIA 1ADELFA PINEDA TRANSPARENCIA Y ÉTICA: Por el Desarrollo del País; Dignidad Publica, 1

hmm, just wondering if the expense ration of doing business here is better than India? or China or any other Asian country? I thought higher per capita income relaly translates into higher expense. Also, India has always been a union of "states" which controll most of the governing and central govt takes care of only departments of national importance. I di dn't understand that "unlike India". Also, how does that really transllates into a better business enviornment?

As an American having lived and served as a volunteer teacher for the past three years in Indonesia, I make the following quick observations and comments as regards the article, "Indonesia as the New India":

Much of the article is, in general terms, accurate. I would take issue with the catch-all comment that Indonesia has "avoided human rights abuses." As compared with the Suharto era, respect for human rights has markedly improved, but certainly egregious abuses still exist in places such as Papua.

Freedom of religion issues are also of concern, as evidenced in the shoddy treatment given the small Muslim sect, Ahmadiyya. SBY has been slow to protect religious minorities in an effort not to alienate Islamic fundamentalists.

Though freedom of religion is spelled out in the Indonesian constitution, it is certainly not exist in practice. That points to a larger issue- rule of law. Officials of powerful governmental agencies often rule by edict and do not follow constitutional guidelines.

Finally, the article makes positive reference to Indonesia's court system, but the country's supreme court is often cited as the most corrupt and unreliable branch of government.

Having said that, much of what the article says has validity. Certainly corruption is under organized attack by the Anti-Corruption Committee, and is making inroads into the banking community and even the Indonesian congress. Decentralization is beginning to build a generation of leadership that under Suharto was never allowed to develop.

Still- consistent with the Indian economy- a growing middle class is counterbalanced by great poverty. Forty percent of Indonesia's people still live on $2.00 or less per day.