The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency has called on President Yudhoyono to cancel the purchase a $58 million private presidential plane – to be called Indonesian Air Force One – saying the country is already sinking in a mire of foreign debt, which by the first quarter of 2011 had reached $214.5 billion, a $10 billion increase on last yea

Resentment of Singapore’s perceived role as a safe haven for corruption fugitives has resurfaced as the Yudhoyono government scrambles to pursuade disgraced Democrat Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin to return home after fleeing to Singapore.

1st Man: White-collar crime, the judicial mafia, shady conglomerates, or a corruptor?

2nd Man: A robber!

Politicians: Don’t try anything stupid or I’ll spill the beans on your rotten dealings too!

Headline reds: Big cases

Jakarta – The number of floating voters is tending to increase. This can be seen not just from the decline in participation levels in elections between 1999 and 2009, but the political parties in general would be unable to hold on to their constituents if an election was held today.

Jakarta – The tales of the New Order regime’s successes, which are being used as a selling point for the Golkar Party, are misleading.

Jakarta – Foreign penetration through multi-national companies in the food sector is increasing and spreading.

Jakarta – Foreign domination of strategic economic sectors is spreading and deepening. It has been suggested that the government reorganised strategic economic development so the benefits are more evenly felt by the ordinary people and greater competitiveness in the face of global competition.

Man: The only thing left is foreign fish (ikan – fish, asin – salty, asin(g) – foreign)

Yet another round of political squabbling has broken out within the government’s ruling coalition – this time over Golkar Party politician Nurdin Halid’s leadership of the beleaguered Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) – which is being used as a political football by President Yudhoyono’s Democrat Party to weaken Golkar’s hold over the PSS