SBY -- Self-Indulgent, Arrogant, and Out-Of-Touch...

If the title of this post does not get you in, then I have determined that it is time to start dealing exclusively in smut and gossip.

I have been trying to think of some good things that SBY has done that I can write about. You know, trying to infuse a little bit of positiveness in amongst all the negativity and the doom and gloom. Indonesia is a great country in desperate need of a great leader. A leader who can truly lead her out of the shadows that still linger. So, while I look for this positivity about SBY, I may as well get in one last lambasting of a truly ineffectual and out-of-touch leader.

Independence Day in any country is one of celebration and reflection. Celebrating that which you have gained while simultaneously reflecting on, and remembering, what was sacrificed in order to gain that independence. Yet, for some though, it is the perfect opportunity to be self-indulgent and arrogant while simultaneously showing just how out-of-touch you really are as president.

SBY took the opportunity of a captive audience of dignitaries and other special guests to spruik himself and his family by forcing upon gifts that have next to nothing to do with Indonesian independence: a speech by his son, a book by his wife, and a book of speeches by world leaders including his own.

The Jakarta Globe reported that the presidential spokesman, Julian Aldrin Pasha, said that the government did not pay for the gifts. So what? And, "who cares?" That does not make it right, does it?

So much promise and so little return...if this was an investment, then financial advisers would be telling you to cut your losses and move on.

You Get What You Vote For...

The beauty of a democracy is you get what you vote for.

And, if you get taken in by the charm offensive of candidates about how, once they are elected, they are going to serve your interests because you are the constituents and they serve only at your pleasure, blah, blah, blah (how cynical am I tonight?), then you could end up with this view on a regular number of plenary session days in the Indonesian Parliament.

If you want to read about the lazy Indonesian legislators, and their excuses for excessive absenteeism, then head over to The Jakarta Globe. The best excuses to date have been that parliamentarians work too hard and that they have permission letters from their parties to be absent. It sort of reminds me of the permission notes I write for my students when they want to leave class to go to the toilet.

But, if you just want to have a chuckle about the empty "people's house" then the picture is for you!

The Power of Journalism, Citizen Journalists, and Bloggers...

Poor old SBY has got his talking heads out trying to spin the rebuff he gave to Susi Haryani and her badly burnt son, Ridho Januar.

The president's men, in this case the talking head is Julian Aldrin Pasha, are now telling us that they are responsible for the treatment that young Ridho is getting because they coordinated the response with Pertamina and the Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital.

This may be true, but it only became true after the poor treatment was exposed in the press, initially by the Jakarta Globe, and then picked up on by new media types like bloggers, twitterers, Facebookers, and the like.

This is damage control, this is reactive and not pro-active. SBY and his merry men and women had a choice. They made a bad choice and are now trying to save a little face. Sad!

The outpouring of support for Susi and Ridho was immediate and large. There were quite a number of donors ready to stump up much-needed cash to see Ridho get the treatment he needs to recover from his very serious burns. However, to her credit, Susi has been unequivocal in stating that she does not want the money and she does not want to manage it. Her choice is to send it to the hospital and they can sort out how much the cost is and how much of it the donors have covered.

Perhaps, a trust fund of some description managed by an independent party would be a better choice, but at least it would seem that through the generous giving of donors the treatment costs are covered. Unfortunately, this means that PT Pertamina will look to shirk its responsibility and pass of the expenses to donors.

It has not been surprising that both the president and Pertamina have been trying to pass the buck to each other on this one. Pertamina claiming that the exploding gas cylinders are the result of poor and rushed policy making on the run. And, the government claiming that Pertamina are cutting corners and putting out inferior product into the market. Well, maybe it is not quite that simple, but a cursory reading gets one to that point.

Well, Mr. President, if you really do care and you really are responsible for all this coordination, why is it that these gas cylinders are still exploding and maiming innocents like young Ridho? Sometimes a president has to make the hard calls and do what has to be done, perhaps now is one of those times. Time to harden up and face down the special interests and start being presidential.

Ho hum...

Krisdayanti & Anang -- Divorced Talaq Style

Krisdayanti is often referred to as an Indonesian Diva and some people might argue that she behaves like a spoilt little diva at times as well. Krisdayanti or KD as she is known was way more famous than her husband to be when she married Anang Hermansyah back in 1996. And, as it turns out she is still more famous than her husband now that they have divorced.

The divorce took place four days before Ramadan and has not been done through the religious court yet. This means that it was a talaq divorce and therefore done in accordance with Islamic principles that govern divorce.

There have been rumours that the marriage has been in trouble for years. It seems that Krisdayanti was the one with the alleged wandering eye. Maybe she was married too young and had not tested the waters enough, or sown enough wild oats or something. Anang was a little reserved on the reasons for the divorce and simply said that it was not his choice but his wife's choice, There were no qualms about targeting the kids to find out what they knew. In what is sure to be a bit of a scoop for SCTV, Titania Aurelie Hermansyah at a mere 11-years-old offerred up that one time while she was swimming mummy was in the bedroom with an East Timorese businessman. The only way this might have been more sensational was if young Titania was asked to describe the noises she heard coming from the bedroom or name the man!

However, this might go a long way to explaining why KD was in Timor Leste for the recent Independence Day celebrations and doing the jig with Ramos Horta and Xanana.

The Jakarta Globe is reporting that the divorce is going to be amicable with KD and Anang already having agreed to custody of the children and the division of their "billion-dollar" fortune (assets). I have gotta say, I always knew that KD was popular and Anang had some success, but a billion dollars is a lot of money. Even on a 50-50 split that makes each of them worth at least 500 million dollars each.