SBY (AKA Save Bakrie, Yudhoyono) & Development...

I have not posted much lately. This has nothing to do with writer's block or similar ills that plague us all every now and then. Rather, it was a conscious decision to hide behind being "too busy" at work to blog. The truth though is more along the lines of getting a little bored with bagging SBY all the time. But, some things that the president says really are worth commenting on and this is one of them.

It seems that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has had a "No Shit, Sherlock" moment. This little moment came when the president was signing-off on an accelerated economic (or is that eco-comic?) development plan at the State Palace in Bogor. It appears that SBY (Save Bakrie, Yudhoyono) believes development in Indonesia has failed during his tenure because of five illnesses. The five illnesses is a pretty convenient number as it fits the same basic framework as Pancasila or the five basic principles that the modern state of Indonesia is founded upon.

What Stupid Bloody Yudhoyono is doing here is passing the buck. He is the classic "buck-passer". He is the consummate "I am the president, so it is someone else's fault" type of guy. Simply, why take responsibility when you think that Teflon is a genetic trait?

The five illnesses plaguing Indonesia are:

1. an inefficient bureaucracy (dealt with by black-balling the best performing, and reforming, Minister he had and forcing her to a post at the World Bank);
2. regional governments (to be dealt with by removing direct elections in favour of central government appointments);
3. investors who promise the world and then do not deliver (hmmm, didn't SBY come to the presidency promising the Indonesian people the world and delivering it to his family and friends?);
4. a flawed legal system (the system is not the problem, the enforcement within the system is the problem, as is an inefficient and hands-off president who allows the institutions of state tasked with combating corruption to be undermined by special interests); and
5. unhealthy political interests (what the president really means here is that he has been held hostage by the short and curlys by these very special interests, and happily so).

It seems like the events in Tunisia inspired events in Egypt which have further inspired others in the Middle East to express their collective desires for change. I wonder how long it is until the Indonesian people feel it is time to express their collective displeasure at a government that promises much and delivers nought? Maybe it is time that the masses returned to the street with a view to re-invigorating reformasi and finishing that which was started in 1998?

Ho hum...

Sherlock out!

The Creative Economy in Indonesia

This is something I wrote for somewhere else. The original of this can be found at http://en.hukumonline.com.

The creative economy is in essence a focus on the creative industries and the contributions that they may make to the overall national economy. The government has finally realized that the creative economy holds very real and very large potential for the future development of Indonesia. The benefits of Indonesia’s creative talents are yet to be fully exploited. Nevertheless, in an attempt to better exploit theses resources the President has issued a Presidential Instruction, No. 5 of 2009, which sets out what is expected and how the stipulated goals are to be achieved.

The instruction covers the period from 2009 – 2015. The overall program will be based on a Creative Economy Policy. Then, this will require a comprehensive annual program to be devised and then carried out for each year. The first of these, 2009, is to be Creative Indonesia Year. The instruction is addressed to all the relevant ministers, the heads of all the relevant institutions, and all of Indonesia’s governors, regents and mayors.

The creative industries that form the creative economy are listed at point two. These include, among others, the following:
• Advertising;
• Arts and antiques;
• Handicrafts;
• Fashion;
• Film, video, and photography;
• Architecture;
• Music;
• Performance art; and
• Radio and television.

The instruction also establishes a Coordination Team for the Development of the Creative Economy and who is on the team. Furthermore, the instruction establishes a Secretariat and relevant Working Groups that are to assist the Team in the performance of their tasked duties. The Team is required to report at least every six months. However, the president can demand reports at any time and the Team will be required to furnish the requested report.

In addition, any budget expenses required in the fulfillment of these provisions will be allocated to the central and regional government budgets as required.

The instruction includes a detailed Attachment. This attachment sets out all of the objectives of the creative economy and who is responsible for seeing certain aspects of the program carried out.

The Instruction has been in force since 5 August 2009.

What's Your Preference?

The miracles of modern medicine and our ability to save and prolong life are an integral part of who we have become, who we are, and who we will be. It is also a matter of some concern, at least, in a medical ethics sense.

The most obvious example of a current concern is the leaps and bounds being made in cloning technology. I am all for development of new technology. Nevertheless, new technology, particularly in medical science, is going to give rise to some interesting ethical and moral debates.

I have just finished reading this interesting story about prospective parents being able to choose not only the sex of their child, but also the child's hair colour, eye colour, and even skin colour. I guess this is like a little bit of pre-natal cosmetic surgery.

The issue here is that some individuals are exploiting advances that were made with more primary concerns involved. Scientists who have developed the ability to identify certain diseases or markers for potential health problems have also, as part of the process, discovered ways to manipulate cells and genes to ensure certain outcomes, like blue eyes.

Medical research is not cheap, so it is of no surprise that the selection of the specialized traits for your baby will also not come cheap. The current estimated cost is USD 18,000. Having had a look at my perfect little bundle of screaming joy on getting home earlier tonight, I can think of other things to put USD 18 K to, rather than a set of hazel coloured eyes or darker skin.

When it is all said and done, to each their own. However, even if I had the money or the ability to choose these traits, I would not do it and I would not have done it in this case. This, for me, is a separate issue from one such as identifying a gene for disease, such as down syndrome. But, that's just me.

Transmigration

For any of my readers who are Indonesian citizens and living in Jakarta. If you are looking for a change of scene then the following might be of interest to you.

The government has determined that it can promote development in current under-developed regions by encouraging self-sufficient potential trans-migrants to uproot and move to these under-developed regions. This is in contrast to transmigration programs where the government facilitates the movement of individuals and families through the provision of financial and technical assistance.

The Minister of Labor and Transmigration Regulation, No. PER.09/MEN/V/2008, repeals an earlier Minister of Transmigration and Settlements Decision, No. KEP.105/MEN/1993. The basic premise of the Regulation is to facilitate the implementation of Article 15(3) of Law No. 15 of 1997 on Transmigration and Article 9(2) and (6) of Government Regulation No. 2 of 1999 on the Management of Transmigration.

The objectives of the Regulation are to set out appropriate government services and the obligations these entail. Secondly, it is to ensure that the regions where this targeted transmigration is to occur, does in fact provide the envisaged development of the relevant region.

There are five essential features of the Regulation:
* implementation;
* direction, services, and assistance;
* cooperation (in a public / private partnership sense);
* defining mechanisms for implementation; and
* monitoring, evaluation, and control.

These issues are then enumerated individually.

The Regulation also addresses the issue of the procurement of land as well as the development and planning of associated trans-migrant settlements.

The critical feature of this Regulation is that the targeted individuals are those that are interested in becoming trans-migrants and have the means to do so. In essence, the necessary capital to start a business venture that is going to contribute to the development of the region to which they migrate.

The Regulation has been in force since 19 May 2008 and is expected to ensure the effective implementation of the self-sufficient and unassisted transmigration program.