According to a senior official of the country’s most influential business association, a revised negative investment list is unlikely to be finalized by the current government, whose term expires in October, given that business leaders first would first have to be consulted. The negative list sets out sectors of the economy that are off limits to foreign investors, or subject to restrictions.

Plagued by difficulty in securing commitments from anchor tenants, PT Alam Sutera Realty said on Monday that it would hold off until next year on the development of its Rp 500 billion ($49.5 million) mall, the linchpin of an integrated town and community centre in Tangerang. “Due to the global economic crisis, many potential anchor tenants are delaying their decisions to commit to our mall,” said Joseph Tjong, Alam Sutera’s finance director.

The nation’s downstream timber products industry has been hit hard by the global economic crisis, with export values plummeting 28 percent year on year to $559.7 million in the first quarter, the Central Statistics Agency reported on Monday The export volume of lumber-based products and their derivatives - including furniture and door and window frames - amounted to 334,290 metric tons, a 23.2 percent drop from the year-earlier period.

Monday, 15 June, 2009 | 20:41 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Indonesian Iron and Steel Industry Association has complained to Tempo about three common illegal import practices, during an interview last weekend with Irvan Kamal, vice chairman of the association. Irvan explained that first, importers often reported their imports at lower prices from the actual price or underinvoiced in order to reduce tax payments.

Any government that gets elected to office will eventually have to deal with the realities of today. Debates about neoliberalism are futile; the relevant issue is: "neorealism". Watching Indonesia's presidential campaigns can be entertaining. One can't help but notice that throughout the past several months, each candidate has been accusing the other of neoliberalism.

Monday, 15 June, 2009 | 20:58 WIB TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (Kadin) has called for more protection for the domestic market to maintain the pace of the economic recovery, citing the importance of market availability.