Clik here to view.
Extraordinary Indonesians: Menuk Suwondo remembered
Menuk tries to teach Elizabeth to dance, Jakarta, 1991 After what seems like a loooooong gestation, Indonesia Etc. is finally born today (at least in the UK; the US and Indonesian triplets will follow...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Not-quite remembering Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square, 1989. Photo by the wonderful Erica Lansner Late last night, one of the many friends who helped me celebrate the launch of Indonesia Etc reminded me of where he and I had been at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Prabowo or Jokowi: does it really matter?
The Prabowo Steam Roller With two televised debates down and three to go, opinion is divided on which of Indonesia’s two presidential candidates is looking most, well, presidential. Jokowi did better...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Department of Self-Promotion: The Economist loves Indonesia Etc!
Update: So does Simon Winchester (writing in the Wall Street Journal) — “…a spectacular achievement and one of the very best travel books I have read..” Pallavi Aiyar, in The LA Review of Books — “I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
[I really hope] Indonesians are not idiots
Originally written for New Mandala under the title “Indonesians are not idiots”. Interesting comments @ the original post. What Indonesians do in polling and what they do in the voting booth are two...
View ArticleKeep calm, Indonesia. But not too calm.
“Indonesians are not idiots!” I proclaimed in my final post before the election, waxing lyrical about the common sense of the Indonesian electorate. They wouldn’t, I predicted, be swayed by Prabowo...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Let the cow-trading begin!
A shop in Solo capitalises on the popularity of Jokowi’s trademark check shirts. Well, it’s official. Over 133 million Indonesians cast their votes peacefully, had them counted repeatedly and now have...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Generous Granta: Indonesia Etc ebook for (almost) free
Lovely Granta, who publish Indonesia Etc. in the UK, Australia and many Commonwealth countries, have generously agreed to try a new experiment: they are making the e-book available for next to nothing...
View ArticleThings to do before you turn 50
What to do on the beautiful summer afternoon before your 50th birthday? Learn something new, obviously. I chose trapeze flying. I could draw comparisons between this exhilarating leap into nothingness...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Indonesia Etc: lessons for Scotland
Memorial celebrating Indonesia’s independence, 4 years late Sixty-nine years ago today, Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta blurted out the two sentences that gave Indonesia its independence (and my book its...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Now Indonesia’s democracy really is in danger
Bupati's office, Sumba Barat Daya, October 2011Bupati's office, Sumba Barat Daya, September 2014 When Joko Widodo was confirmed as Indonesia’s new president by the Constitutional Court late last...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Where have all the oknum gone?
A couple of weeks ago, the weekly news magazine Tempo devoted several pages to a story about cops being involved in an on-line gambling ring; there was an editorial about the scandal, too, and it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Undermining Indonesian democracy: last gasp, or a sign of things to come?
Tombstone by Yuda Pratama (and SBY) So it has happened: Indonesia’s democracy has been undermined by the nation’s elected representatives. When I wrote a fortnight ago about the threat posed by...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Indonesia Etc. enhanced eBook is out now! (in some places)
Indonesia is one of the most visually compelling countries in the world: blue flames leap out of the side of sulphurous volcanoes, scarlet blood splatters into the dust between megalithic tombstones,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jokowi’s first task: undermine dynasty politics
A Jokowi supporter paints his becak in the new president’s trademark check Tomorrow ushers in a new era for Indonesian politics. For the first time since 1957, when then president Sukarno did away with...
View ArticleIs Twitter a substitute for activism, or a platform for corruption?
Having spent plenty of time observing corruption first-hand in Indonesia, I’ve recently started to read more about what the boffins say. By boffins, I mean institutions such as the World Bank who write...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Slideshow – Markets of Indonesia – The Market Rules
Semarang, Java Semarang, Java Wamena, Papua The Market Rules Banda Aceh, Crabs Banda Aceh, Turtle eggs Turtles eggs for sale in Banda Aceh market. One pile of eggs sells for 20,000 rupiah, about two...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In the name of God [bad things happen]
A mosque rising between two churches in Bajawa, in largely Catholic Flores Does it matter to the police what religion I profess? Or to the people who are processing health insurance cards, or to the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Indonesia today: No adult supervision
Illustration by Lilo Acebal Neu, from Indonesia Etc. Watching Indonesia from far away through the filter of the Twittering classes and foreign news coverage, it’s hard not to be mildly despairing that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Is corruption really such a bad thing?
Heaven for Corruptors! The banner gives stats for the length of prison terms for those convicted of corruption. Thanks to komikjakarta. Today was International Anti-Corruption Day. Staff of Surabaya’s...
View Article
