Here is the news

The fear of foreigners taking jobs here has been going on for years and with the opening of borders through ASEAN that was the worry behind it all.
Then all the rules changed for those seeking employment as the country, quite rightly, put it's own workforce first but then expelled those those that were helping.
Now perhaps they are realising that in order to bring in more investment they need to make working here simpler for foreigners. Not labourers or railway builders but skills which aren't here.
But the requirements needed to work here are higher than other countries yet the pay is lower so add that to lots of red tape and now it's hard to get people to come here for that reason.

Education has got better and there is a move from theory to practical but it's taking time and there is now more scope for the those that are lucky to receive better education. Not just private schools but well run and financed free government schools which have gained traction over the last few years.
Students skills in all subjects have improved as they are exposed to better teachers and resources but we all know that's not all over Indonesia but in the bigger cities. The next step is to improve its universities and their reputations which I also feel is happening.

The red tape isn't going away soon but it's nice to hear these things being said again. Let's hope it can happen.

@Fred:

I believe you might be out of touch with reality and just into speech-making and promoting Indonesia since you switched your nationality to become an Indonesia.

And I am not knocking any kids, I am just ridiculing your suggestions that Indonesian kids are the future of the world. You have no idea about kids abilities in other countries and suggesting that Indonesian kids are greater than those in other countries is completely ludicrous, especially basing your ideas purely on the school where your own child goes. You should be aware that ALL schools have smart kids. ALL schools throughout the world has smart kids.

I appreciate your supporting Indonesia and wanting it to be a major player on the world stage, but let's be honest, it is never going to happen.

In almost every country of the world there are smart or gifted kids who with or without money can succeed in their studies and become very successful. I know lots of these people in Indonesia. They are scientists who get scholarships from this Government (one of the really good things provided by this Government) and study overseas in subjects like nano technology and other scientific subjects, but there is know growing trend of Indonesian scientists or geniuses.

With your speech I think you have made ridiculous presumptions and bitten off more than you can chew.

Let's face it, Indonesia is not going to become the world leader through a generation of brilliant genius kids. But it does have many good things going about it. The people are friendly, the countryside is beautiful, the food and sambals are brilliant, it has great surfing beaches, and the cost of living can be very cheap which has allowed people like you and me to be able to come here and live.

@Lukereg:

Yes, I agree with much of what you say.

abdulkhalil wrote:

@Fred:

I believe you might be out of touch with reality and just into speech-making and promoting Indonesia since you switched your nationality to become an Indonesia.

And I am not knocking any kids, I am just ridiculing your suggestions that Indonesian kids are the future of the world. You have no idea about kids abilities in other countries and suggesting that Indonesian kids are greater than those in other countries is completely ludicrous, .

It would be very silly to suggest Indonesian kids are the future of the world, that being why I didn't say it.
Perhaps I could encourage you to read posts properly before commenting.

Perhaps a second look will allow you to see where you went wrong.
Hope it helps.

wrote:

I'm seeing a new, tech-savvy, highly intelligent, well educated,  generation of kids coming through school, hungry for everything and easily capable of matching the best in the world,

I've seen a few I wouldn't consider using

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … ittee.html

Most of the boats operating in waters of Jakarta's Thousand Islands regency fail to meet safety standards set by the National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT).

"Our recommendation issued last year has not been heeded until today," KNKT chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono told tempo.co on Tuesday.

I know one of the competitors in this event, a perfect example of how autistic kids aren't the burden many think they are.
Autism is much misunderstood by many in Indonesia, a serious error that's slowly being addressed.
I hope this event draws a lot of positive publicity to those who seek to resolve the social issues concerning autism caused by so many people  misunderstanding ASD.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … ships.html

The 15th Junior Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships officially opened on Wednesday with Indonesia hosting the event at Istora Senayan in Jakarta until Saturday.

The opening ceremony was attended by Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi, Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC) chief Erick Thohir and Indonesian Gymnastics Association (Persani) deputy chairwoman Ita Yuliati.

Whilst respecting the court's decision, I would have preferred life and confiscation of all assets.

http://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesia-j … ars-graft/

Jakarta. An Indonesian court on Tuesday (24/04) sentenced the former speaker of House of Representatives, Setya Novanto, to 15 years in jail for his role in causing state losses of around $170 million, linked to a national electronic identity card scheme.

The case has shocked Indonesians, already used to large corruption scandals and has reinforced a widely held perception that their parliement, long regarded as riddled with corruption, is a failing institution.

"The defendant is found guilty of conspiring to commit corruption and is sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined Rp 500 million," Yanto, the head of a panel of five judges, told the Jakarta court. The fine is equivalent to $36,000.

They were going to make a lot of gold out of this, but they're only managed to earn lead

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … -case.html

The South Jakarta District Court has sentenced five yacht crewmen to death for their roles in smuggling 1 ton of drugs.

The five defendants were identified as Juang Jin Sheng, Sun Kuo Tai, Sun Chih Feng, Kuo Chun Yuan and Tsai Chih Hung.

In a separate hearing, the court also handed down death sentences to three other Taiwanese in the case named Liao Guan Yu, Chen Wei Cyuan and Hsu Yung Li.

The court found them guilty of violating articles 114 and 132 of Law No.35/2009 on narcotics.

The judge maintained that the committed crime could put the lives of future generations at risk. 

The three men were waiting on Anyer Beach, Banten while the five defendants unloaded crystal methamphetamine from the yacht.

The police said the drugs were worth Rp 2 trillion (US$143.9 million), making it was one of the biggest drug smuggling attempts in the country's history.

A good news story for Indonesian students.
As I asserted before, a good education is allowing Indonesian kids to compete with the best in the world.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/youth/201 … erbia.html

A team of Indonesian high school students has come home with two gold medals from the 2018 International Conference of Young Scientists held from April 19-25 in Belgrade.

The national team also won three bronze medals, two special awards and a best poster recognition, according to a statement from the Center for Young Scientists.

"The gold medals were obtained by Muhammad Firman Naruddin from Taruna Nusantara Magelang high school in the Environmental Science field and Ian Santoso from Cita Hati West Campus Surabaya high school in the Life Sciences field," the statement said.

May day attracts a lot of people to events so perhaps it's a good idea to avoid Monas on Monday

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … -area.html

A wetter Indonesia.
Flooding is already a massive issue for many areas, making this very bad news for a lot of people.

https://news.uci.edu/2018/04/27/scienti … he-future/

Irvine, Calif., April 27, 2018 – Climate models predict that an increase in greenhouse gases will dry out the Amazon rainforest in the future while causing wetter conditions in the woodlands of Africa and Indonesia. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions have identified an unexpected but major factor in this worldwide precipitation shift: the direct response of the forests themselves to higher levels of carbon dioxide.

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After you've lived in Indonesia a bit longer you'll learn to ignore half of what you read in the news as very often it ends up being untrue or exaggerated.

I find it much better to get out and enjoy life than to think too much about politics and religion. I've spent most of my life not wasting any time at all on politics and religion as I always considered them as major distractions to getting the most out of my life. Even if changes in policies affect me them just adapt and move on but don't make a big thing out of it. You just need to catch CNN or FOX News to understand that politics is all about ratings and keeping one's core base happy rather than reporting accurately.

I would rather be outdoors hiking or doing white water rafting than listening to peoples biased opinions about news and religion.

This is a sad event, and one that would never have made the news if it hadn't been for years of poaching that have taken these animals to the brink of extinction

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/as … a-10179022

JAKARTA: A Javan rhino has died in Indonesia, the environment ministry said Thursday (Apr 26), bringing the critically endangered mammals closer to extinction with just 60 believed to be still living in the wild.

The body of the male rhino was found inside West Java's Ujung Kulon national park, the creature's last remaining habitat.

Its death was believed to be from old age rather than poaching.

The animal has been driven to the brink of extinction as their horns are highly valued in traditional Chinese and Korean medicine, although most countries in the region have banned the trade.

When big players enter the market, you know things are changing.
A notable car manufacturer is bring top quality electric vehicles to Indonesia, and suggesting renewables are the way forward when it comes to charging them.

This one also explains government policy regarding such cars, and it's very positive.
I wonder if the expected increased rainfall will offer more options for water powered electricity generation.

https://otomotif.kompas.com/read/2018/0 … -indonesia

Indonesia has overtaken the Philippines in geothermal electricity production, that making Indonesia second in the world in this field.
Apart from anything else, low polluting electricity generation will be able to supply power to recharge electric cars, something that will be extremely helpful in the fight to reduce pollution in the cities.

https://katadata.co.id/berita/2018/04/2 … i-filipina

Fred wrote:

When big players enter the market, you know things are changing.
A notable car manufacturer is bring top quality electric vehicles to Indonesia, and suggesting renewables are the way forward when it comes to charging them.

This one also explains government policy regarding such cars, and it's very positive.
I wonder if the expected increased rainfall will offer more options for water powered electricity generation.

https://otomotif.kompas.com/read/2018/0 … -indonesia

I'm not sure about water powered electricity generation. When you start building dams then you start messing with the ecosystem. Look how the Yangtze river and the whole environment and ecosystem has been destroyed. I really hope Indonesia does not decide to start buildings dams all over the place.

Yes electric vehicles are really great and the future. Seems like people are queuing up to buy electric cars in the US and UK....or are they? Will we same a similar level of success in Indonesia as in other countries?

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More push for the electric car industry. These students might well go on to be the next generation of designers.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018 … -show.html

Students from three local universities displayed their electric cars during the 2018 Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) , which runs from April 19 to 29 at JIExpo Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

The move is in line with the Industry Ministry's road map that includes having a minimum of 20 percent electric vehicles in Indonesia by 2025.

Unfortunately 20% is a ridiculously overambitious and impossible target to meet. The Ministry's road map is just a dream.

I am thinking that the figure is more likely to be a fraction of 1%. Remember, this is Indonesia, and 2025 is only 6 years and 8 months away. It ain't gonna happen.

Hybrid is doable electric not a chance in hell

Hydrid could possibly reach 0.5% to 1% by 2025. There are just so many old Kijang's around that owners are not going to splash out on a new Hydrid when their Kijang still runs nicely. Even if the Government tries to intervene and raise petrol taxes then the Pertamina isn't going to be too happy.

Batam is is small but I can safely say it's pass your estimate now hybrid here are becoming popular

Yes different parts of the country will have different figures. In Bukit Lawang the percentage of Hybrid cars is probably very low.

I bought my car about 3 years ago.

I was just wondering if I should convert it to run on horse manure, or sell it and get a Hybrid. If I sell it then the person who buys it will be in the 99.5% of non hybrid car owners. If I sold my car for scrap then I'd be doing my part to help the Government reach their target.

Without stating my opinion

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles … t-outsider

Elites are in foul odor in democracies big and small. That's good news for Indonesian President Joko Widodo as election season revs up in the world's third-largest democracy. Four years in office have done little to dent his popularity, with most polls showing Jokowi — as he is popularly known — strengthening his position.

Some expats aren't very desirable, these criminals likely to be used by the right wing as reason to exclude all.

https://en.antaranews.com/news/115585/b … yber-fraud

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Bali police`s cybercrime unit has arrested 114 suspects of cyber fraud in Bali, 103 of which are Chinese nationals.

Brig. Gen. Mohammad Iqbal, a spokesman of the Indonesian Police, noted in a short message here on Wednesday that the suspects comprised five Indonesian females and six Indonesian males as well as 103 Chinese of which 11 were females and 92 males.

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Kids can get up to some daft tricks, but where were the teachers?

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … antan.html

A student from a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Berau regency, East Kalimantan, has died after a truck drove over him in an attempted stunt that went horribly wrong.

The stunt was part of a graduation event at the pesantren, in which six students lay down on the ground next to each other and had a truck driven over them by a classmate.

Berau Police chief Adj. Comr. Abdul Rivai told tribunnews.com on Friday that the police had summoned six witnesses in the case, adding that investigators would conduct a case screening to decide whether the student's death had been caused by negligence.

The police have also secured footage of the incident from a TV station, Abdul said.

The six students first carried out the stunt with a motorcycle, which went on without incident, prompting them to raise the stakes by using a pickup truck, witnesses said.

Kill them?
I wonder if that'll gain support.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … victs.html

Former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Abraham Samad called for the implementation of the death penalty for corruption convicts during a speech in which he declared his intention to run as a presidential candidate, in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Monday.

“Corruptors must be given a severe punishment [...] and their assets must be confiscated by the state. Implement the death penalty for corruptors, if necessary. This can provide legal certainty,” said Abraham.

He further said corruption had damaged the country and led to poverty, causing the state to lose its authority.

“How can we get out of this slump? The only answer is by combating corruption. Whatever the way is, no matter how scary the risk is, we must fight against corruption,” he said.

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This one is very much expat related as work is a common add on for expats wishing to relocate to tourist areas.
This isn't going to help their cases.

https://en.antaranews.com/news/115643/r … illion-bps

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s working population has reached 127.07 million in February 2018, up by 2.53 million compared to the same period of 2017, which has been recorded at 124.54 million, according to the Central Bureau of Statistic (BPS).

"Of the total 127.07 million working population, 87.08 million are full-time employees, 30.29 million are part-time employees, and 9.7 million are under-employed," head of BPS Suhariyanto said here on Monday.

Some nice news

https://en.antaranews.com/news/115646/i … in-belgium

Jakarta, May 8 (ANTARA News) - Indonesia`s martial arts team won gold medals at the Belgium Open Martial Arts 2018 competition held on May 5-6 at Schoten-Antwerp, Belgium, the Indonesian Embassy in Brussels noted in a statement on Tuesday.

The Indonesian team won six gold, two silver, and two bronze medals in the competition.

The martial arts open tournament was the 23rd edition organized in Belgium by the Belgian Bond Martial Arts (BPSB), a Belgian Martial Arts Federation established 36 years ago.

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I don't know if you'll agree with me or not Fred, but IMHO Indonesia has been doing a great job keeping this sort of "activity" well under control.

If you or I think back to 15, 16 years ago...that wasn't the case. 

I say, "selamat Indonesia!"   

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Did they, or didn't they?

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2018/05/2 … -Terrorism

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The chairman of Progres 98, Faizal Assegaf, brought some evidence to the Jakarta Metro Police on Monday, May 21. The evidence was revealed to support his charges against a number of cadres Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), whom he believes to be advocating terrorism.

Faizal showed a stack of documents with screen-captures of PKS politicians` social media posts as well as reports about himself.

On Monday, Faizal filed charges against PKS politicians including its president Sohibul Iman, DPR deputy speaker Fahri Hamzah, Anis Matta, Mardani Ali Sera, and others.