Hello hello Bandung

Hello hello Bandung, city of memories, long has it been since I last visited you, now you have become a sea of flood, brothers let us replant.

(Adapted from the 1945 revolutionary song Hello Hello Bandung by Ismail Marzuki)

Bandung, once known for its temperate climate and mountain views, now suffers from perennial flooding due to widespread deforestation to make way for housing developments.

Kompas - March 31, 2010

Fitting aren’t I?

Susno Duadji: Fitting aren’t I?

Disgraced former chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, best remembered for fanning the feud between the police and the Corruption Eradication Commission with his "gecko versus crocodile" analogy, claims in a new biography that he was a humble and honest cop forced out of his office at the hands of a lying national police chief.

Kompas - March 27, 2010

It's all just the same...

1st Man: Soccer hooligan mania, corruption mania, mafia mania, case broker mania, it's all just the same...

2nd Man: The same, how so?

1st Man: They're all wreaking the country.

Kompas - March 24, 2010

What's next Dad?

Kid: After the reality shows on TV, the gang fights, the Century uproar, then terrorism, what's next dad?

Man: Why do you care so much? What's important is scratching out a living! Get it?

For the 110 million or more people scraping by on less than $US2 a day, the endless TV reality shows, corruption scandals and televised shoot outs with terrorist suspects have little to do with the poor's daily struggle to survive.

Kompas - March 20, 2010

Modern markets

Man pushing shopping trolley (reading Modern Markets): You sell I buy.

Traditional kiosk and market traders say that the government has been inconsistent with Presidential Decree No 112/2007 on the protection of traditional markets with the rapid and uncontrolled growth of modern markets in urban centers driving them out of business.

Kompas - March 17, 2010

Horse trading

Background: House of Representatives building.

Kid: Hey Mr... if you want to horse trade, why not just go to the livestock market?

As the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) begins its probe of Bank Century, an antigraft watchdog has warned that politicians could use the bailout case as leverage to get the KPK to drop politically sensitive cases.

Kompas - March 13, 2010

Terrorism

After years of relative peace, analysts and ordinary Indonesian's alike were shocked by the discovery of a paramilitary training camp in the mountainous regions of Aceh Besar allegedly linked to Jemaah Islamiyah. Rights groups meanwhile have called on police to end military-style operations against the group after a series of civilian deaths during the operations.

Kompas - March 10, 2010

How many zeros

Kid: Dad... 6.7 trillion, how many zeros has that go in it?

After months of drama, comedy and farce, culminating in a live telecast of lawmakers brawling with each other, a divided House declared that the people who approved the Rp6.7 trillion Bank Century bailout were responsible for approving it and that law enforcement agencies already investigating the bailout should investigate it.

Kompas – March 6, 2010

Political maturity

Having castigated protesting students over a series of recent clashes with police, the "people's representatives" demonstrated their political maturity by brawling on live television during the opening of the Bank Century inquiry plenary session after the speaker shut down debate on the controversial bailout.

Kompas – March 3, 2010