The wages of corruption By Chan Akya "In India, corruption is under the table. In China, it is over the table, while in Indonesia corruption includes the table," it has been said. People might quibble about the relative placement of Asia's three largest countries. Depending on direct evidence of paying off government officials, and the nationalities of those making the payments, the temptation to reclassify stands quite broad.

Economists cautiously welcome budget targets Andi Haswidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta While maintaining that the government's economic performance in 2006 has been less than satisfactory, a number of well-known Indonesian economists say that the economic targets and programs proposed by the President in his state of the nation address are realistic and achievable.

Govt upbeat on the economy Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government clearly believes that 2007 will be the year when the economy finally begins to shine again, with the President unveiling an outline draft budget promising better growth on higher development spending and improving economic conditions.