THERE are myriad reasons why Indonesia’s president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (often called SBY), ought to be worried as the days count down to the country’s presidential election on July 8th. Only a quarter of the measures he promised in 2004 to improve the investment climate have been implemented. Desperately needed infrastructure development has been sluggish. Legal and judicial reforms have been patchy. Little progress has been made on improving labour-market regulation.

there are two obvious options for where this bridge might be located: one is from just north of Malacca and crosses directly over the strait; distance about 40km; the second is to island-hope from the southern tip of malaysia through the Riau archipelago; largest span there would be 20km.

JAKARTA, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Part of Trans Asia road that passes through Indonesian territory will be completed by 2014, Indonesian Public Works Minister Joko Kirmanto said here. "The trans-Sumatra and trans-Kalimantan roads will be connected by the end of this year. We will improve the road quality gradually each year. Hopefully by 2014 all of those roads will be complied with Trans Asia requirements," the Bisnis Indonesia Thursday quoted Joko as saying.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has forecast that foreign direct investment for 2009 will be $6.2 billion, less than half of last year’s total of $14.87 billion, as companies remain cautious about expansion plans amid the global downturn.