Hang corruptors!!

As a response to the surge in inflation due to increasing food and oil prices, the central bank decided Wednesday to maintain the interest rates at 8 percent. Bank Indonesia governor Burhanuddin Abdullah said the central bank saw the economy facing various risks and challenges particularly in securing the inflation target. On Feb. 4, the central bank announced it would raise its inflation range estimates from between four and six percent to six and 6.5 percent.

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government plans to privatize 44 state companies this year, including 10 companies initially planned to be privatized last year, says a minister. The 34 new companies include train manufacturer PT INKA through a strategic sale of 49 percent of its shares, steel producer PT Krakatau Steel through a strategic sale of 20 percent of its shares or 40 percent through an IPO, and Bank BNI through an additional divestment of 15.76 percent of its shares.

Ika Krismantari, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau The government will proceed with its plan to limit the sales of subsidized fuels, with some part of the savings to go to subsidizing food staples, an official said Thursday. Directorate general of oil and gas Luluk Sumiarso told The Jakarta Post the move would go into effect May 1 after a study gauging the impact of the program could be completed. "We are still studying the plan to find better ways we can implement the program.

Many government critics, non-governmental organizations and the media perhaps do not realize, or pretend not to realize, that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's anti-corruption offensive has sparked fear among many corruptors. Who could sleep soundly at night knowing the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has their name on its list?

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) said Wednesday the industrial relations court was ineffective in settling business-related disputes because of a lack of technical guidance. Apindo chairman Sofjan Wanandi said the ineffectiveness started when many essential points regulated in the law for the settlement of industrial relations dispute were neglected.