Schools across the country are preparing for a huge shift; beginning this next term, English will no longer be a required subject in Government primary schools. The outrage is, justifiably, large and there are fears that this will hurt the ability of Indonesian students to succeed in a globalized world. This debate reminded me of [...]

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Indonesia’s historical baggage over the last century and a half means that as we tip headlong into this new fangled thing people call globalization, Indonesia’s educational infrastructure is struggling to catch up to the 1970s. Forget concepts like the Internet, creative thinking and meritocracy, many students are still being sat in lines to learn rote [...]

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Real Estate agents around Indonesia, and internationally, think that land laws in Bali are different from the rest of Indonesia, as foreigners can own freehold land! You can also own freehold land with a secondary title on top of it, being the Right of Use (Hak Pakai) and Right to Build (Hak Guna Bangunan). Some [...]

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Most expats who have lived in Jakarta for any length of time will have a story about electricity problems. From sudden bill increases to blackouts, disconnections and unsafe installations, there is much to moan about – but we’re still better off than remote areas living in the dark. So first, some backhanded praise. An Englishman [...]

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She was promised a well paying job as a waitress-receptionist in Batam. The establishment, although Chinese-owned, was fully halal, so, no need to worry. A few weeks later she was “liberated” when the police raided the place and arrested the owner for trafficking. She was angry. “Prostitution!” she exclaimed. “For that I could have stayed [...]

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It’s not just oil and gas, English teachers and missionary types who like to call Indonesia home. Despite all the problems that plague football in this country, until recently we have two national associations and  two national teams while now we have two league set ups and two bodies claiming to run the national team, [...]

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Much of Indonesia’s seas are being “watched over” by friendly creatures whose underwater singing and dancing never cease to melt the human heart: some 30 species of cetaceans (whales and dolphins). North Bali’s whale watching industry is reported to generate about US$4.1 million per year, or about 40% of the incomes of local hotels in [...]

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There are two schools of thought regarding palm oil. First, that it’s unhealthy and oil palm plantations are pushing orangutans to extinction. Critics claim traditional forest dwellers have been driven off their land or coerced into plantation work crews, while profits go to big corporations and their political patrons. The second view is that palm [...]

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As a child, my nightmares weren’t like other children’s. They didn’t have monsters, ghosts, or terrifying creatures, instead, they came from the videos we saw in science class. It was images of acid rain, extinction of species, air pollution and other natural ills kept me up at night. It’s not surprising then that I grew [...]

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Gluttony is my favourite sin. Indulging in a calorific piece of kobe beef, an extra helping of bacon on your pancakes dripping with maple syrup or the bliss of losing yourself in a moist cake that could make a nun blush are pleasures I will afford to take should judgement day come. By no means [...]

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Ubiquitous, cheap, filling, and, most importantly, delicious. Street food and Indonesia are often seen as one and the same. They are outside the shopping malls of Jakarta, providing a cheap alternative to western-priced fare inside for mall staff, tucked into alleys in Denpasar, in specially designated areas in Solo, always within a few minutes walk [...]

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Ancient shipwrecks on Indonesia’s sea floors have become just another resource to be plundered – often resulting in the loss of archaeological evidence that could have shed light on early trade routes and the arrival of foreign culture and religion. Contrary to common opinion, the oldest wrecks are not only Arab merchant ships, but also [...]

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With a reputation for hands on leadership, in less than a decade Joko Widodo has risen to become Indonesia’s most popular politician with political capital by the bucket load. The good news is he seems to be using that capital wisely. The bad news is we don’t know how long he’ll stay. If all goes [...]

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Did you know there is actually a mangrove plantation in Jakarta? You probably have driven by it many times and not even noticed. It can be found right along the expressway connecting central Jakarta with Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, a tiny bit of greenery and one of Jakarta’s few true protections against Climate Change and flooding. [...]

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