Economic rise snags on political turbulence

Vincent Lingga , Jakarta Mon, 12/21/2009 11:28 AM Review & Outlook It is impossible to chart the economic outlook for 2010 without factoring the Bank Century debacle into the equation. The nationwide controversy over the Nov. 21, 2008, bank bailout is not simply a temporary distraction,...

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SBY economic team may lose trust and market confidence

Vincent Lingga , Jakarta Thu, 12/03/2009 12:22 PM Who in the government can we trust if then Bank Indonesia governor Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati turn out to have compromised their policy decisions in bailing out Bank Century in late November 2008? That was one of the...

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Bank Century debacle: The investing public lose their shirts

Vincent Lingga , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Thu, 09/17/2009 2:33 PM Headlines  The hotly debated, US$670 million bailout of Bank Century last November did at least one big thing right: The move didn't save the bankers and the shareholders. In fact, one of its former major shareholders,...

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Resolving worrisome questions around Bank Century's bailout

Vincent Lingga , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Wed, 09/02/2009 1:11 PM Headlines  The Finance Ministry and Bank Indonesia, responsible for the bailout of Bank Century last November, steadfastly defended the urgency and legitimacy of the rescue, citing the financial uncertainty, severe liquidity...

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A more politically confident SBY to propose his 2010 budget plan

Vincent Lingga , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA Fri, 07/31/2009 1:45 PM Headlines There are at least two positive factors that will make the 2010 budget proposal President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will submit to the House of Representatives on Monday more politically and fiscally credible. His...

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Reformer Sri Mulyani set to lead graft-tainted central bank

Vincent Lingga , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Tue, 06/30/2009 10:54 AM Headlines  With two of its former governors and four of its deputy governors now in jail for corruption, a good reputation, more than anything else, is what Bank Indonesia, the main plank for our monetary management,...

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Commentary: The poor, the unemployed and the inflated promises

Vincent Lingga , THE JAKARTA POST , JAKARTA Fri, 06/26/2009 1:05 PM Headlines The second round of presidential debates Thursday evening presented a slightly livelier exchange of views, especially between Jusuf Kalla and incumbent president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, concerning what they would...

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Special Report: Reforms in place to root out rent seekers

Vincent Lingga , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta Tue, 04/28/2009 12:54 PM Headlines  Limited financial resources and inadequate institutional capacity have forced the government to go slow in reforming the civil service. Since bureaucratic reform is also about abolishing or reducing rent,...

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SG’s misguided investment

Vincent Lingga , JAKARTA Tue, 03/24/2009 10:00 AM Opinion The failure of state-owned PT Semen Gresik (SG), the country’s largest cement maker, to control its “renegade” PT Semen Padang subsidiary should be blamed partly for the flight of almost US$340 million capital when Mexico’s Cemex cement...

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Karen should be as brave and no-nonsense a leader as Sri Mulyani

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 Vincent Lingga, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Only time will tell whether the government is really serious about reforming Pertamina by giving its new CEO Karen Agustiawan full mandate to run the country's largest state company. But it is good to know that Karen herself has...

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Tax cuts the most sensible component of the stimulus package

Monday, February 02, 2009 Vincent Lingga, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Of all components of the Rp 71.3 trillion (US$6.5 billion) fiscal stimulus package Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati reported to the parliament last week, tax cuts and waiving of payroll taxes make the most sense as long as they...

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