I agree 100% with you chewwy, and what's so strange is that everyone knows this is a problem, everyone vows to change it and yet nothing but lip service actually gets done. At the end of the day, those involved in the ministry and other MPs use it as a cash cow and play politics with it to keep the 'system' running as is without any proper changes. BTW, Nike actually decided/conceded yesterday to stay here for at least 2 more years amidst threats of bad press.

someone should start an employers union to counter-lobby the other union.. ha.ha.

Shame isn't it ? For the 967th time I find myself wondering why it is so difficult for me to throw money at Indonesia. ∆ I have never posted a delta before.

A topic close to my heart and probably very little interest to anybody else is the current situation with Indonesia’s manpower regulations. You would think a country that enjoys such a large population and an abundance of natural resources would be a world leader. Unfortunately to the distress of many, (both local and expat) this is not the case. The reasons for Indonesia not achieving it’s full potential are so complex I could not hope to cover all the reasons here.

Medan, N Sumatra (ANTARA News) - The government will maintain the crude palm oil (CPO) export tax at the average rate of 6.5 percent as it is considered already ideal, Industry Minister Fahmi Idris said. "The rate of CPO export tax is already ideal," the minister said when he visited an integrated CPO factory of PT Musim Mas in Medan on Tuesday.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Investors` interest in Indonesia`s shoe industry is still high despite the fact that many shoe companies have closed their businesses, the country`s top investment official said. "The number of new companies investing in the shoe industry exceeds that of companies that have withdrawn their investment," Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Chairman M Lutfi said here on Tuesday.

Washington (ANTARA News) - Indonesia will likely be able to continue to attain economic growth of 6 to 7 percent, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday. "Indonesia's economic performance has been strong," the IMF was quoted by Kyodo as saying in a statement issued after its annual review of the country.

I read the book Indonesian Gold earlier this year! Thoroughly enjoyed it! http://sidharta.com/books/index.jsp?uid=1

The Canadian court responsible for this decision is not setting a very good example to Indonesia... And looks like no effort is being made to track down de Guzman. Bre-X gold scam figure not guilty on all counts Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:32 PM BST TORONTO (Reuters) - John Felderhof, the lone remaining key figure in the multibillion-dollar Bre-X gold fraud, was found not guilty on Tuesday of insider trading and misleading investors in the only prosecution brought in the greatest mining scam of all time.